Persistence to last grade of primary, total in South Africa
South Africa: Persistence to last grade of primary, total was 95.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Persistence to last grade of primary, total in South Africa, 1990–2022
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of cohort.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 95.4% for persistence to last grade of primary, total in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persistence to last grade of primary, total in South Africa peaked at 96.6% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 57.5%, in 1999.
That places South Africa 68th out of 179 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Persistence to last grade of primary, total in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 67.9% | — |
| 1998 | 69.9% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 57.5% | -17.8% |
| 2001 | 80.1% | +39.4% |
| 2002 | 78.7% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 77.0% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 79.7% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 89.7% | +12.6% |
| 2018 | 96.6% | +7.7% |
| 2019 | 95.6% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 95.5% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 92.8% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 95.4% | +2.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 95.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 93.8%, 1.0× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 95.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 65.9%, 1.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Persistence to last grade of primary, total in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +39.4% | 57.5% | 80.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 65.1% | 57.5% | 69.9% | 3 |
| 2000s | 78.6% | 77.0% | 80.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 90.4% | 79.7% | 96.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 94.5% | 92.8% | 95.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 65 Hong Kong, China 95.6% compare
- 66 Republic of Moldova 95.5% compare
- 67 Saint Kitts and Nevis 95.4% compare
- 69 Seychelles 95.3% compare
- 70 Jordan 95.2% compare
- 71 Cape Verde 94.9% compare
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is persistence to last grade of primary, total in South Africa?
- Persistence to last grade of primary, total in South Africa was 95.4% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest persistence to last grade of primary, total recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 96.6% in 2018.
- What is the lowest persistence to last grade of primary, total recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.5% in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for persistence to last grade of primary, total?
- South Africa ranks 68th out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
- Is persistence to last grade of primary, total rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Persistence to last grade of primary, total (% of cohort). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Persistence to last grade of primary is the percentage of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach the last grade of primary education. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.