Primary completion rate, female in South Africa
South Africa: Primary completion rate, female was 94.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Primary completion rate, female in South Africa, 1991–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.
Analysis
In 2023, primary completion rate, female in South Africa stood at 94.5%.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary completion rate, female in South Africa peaked at 95.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 73.5%, in 1999.
South Africa ranks 102nd of 189 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Primary completion rate, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of relevant age group | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 88.7% | — |
| 1998 | 78.6% | -11.4% |
| 1999 | 73.5% | -6.6% |
| 2000 | 74.1% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 81.8% | +10.3% |
| 2003 | 85.8% | +4.9% |
| 2004 | 90.2% | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 91.1% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 91.9% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 94.7% | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 94.5% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 93.9% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 95.6% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 94.8% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 94.5% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 80.3% | 73.5% | 88.7% | 3 |
| 2000s | 83.0% | 74.1% | 90.2% | 4 |
| 2010s | 93.1% | 91.1% | 94.7% | 4 |
| 2020s | 94.7% | 93.9% | 95.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.65 million (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary completion rate, female in South Africa?
- Primary completion rate, female in South Africa was 94.5% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary completion rate, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 95.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest primary completion rate, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.5% in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for primary completion rate, female?
- South Africa ranks 102nd out of 189 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary completion rate, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. 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 Primary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary completion rate, or gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, is the number of new entrants (enrollments minus repeaters) in the last grade of primary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education. Data limitations preclude adjusting for students who drop out during the final year of primary education.