Share of the population with at least some formal education in South Africa
South Africa: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 98.1% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with at least some formal education in South Africa, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with at least some formal education in South Africa is 98.1%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in South Africa peaked at 98.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 12.4%, in 1870.
That places South Africa 42nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 13.6% | 12.4% | 14.7% | 2 |
| 1880s | 19.0% | 17.3% | 20.7% | 2 |
| 1890s | 23.2% | 23.2% | 23.3% | 2 |
| 1900s | 21.6% | 21.5% | 21.6% | 2 |
| 1910s | 23.6% | 22.0% | 25.1% | 2 |
| 1920s | 34.8% | 32.9% | 36.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 41.8% | 40.2% | 43.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 47.1% | 45.6% | 48.6% | 2 |
| 1950s | 52.3% | 51.1% | 53.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 57.0% | 55.0% | 59.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 66.2% | 63.5% | 69.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 78.7% | 75.0% | 82.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 92.6% | 89.6% | 95.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 88.9% | 86.7% | 91.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 96.5% | 96.0% | 97.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 98.1% | 98.1% | 98.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 101.8% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 287,310 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 2.21 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 99.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in South Africa?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in South Africa was 98.1% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 98.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.4% in 1870.
- How does South Africa rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- South Africa ranks 42nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.