Proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education in South Africa
South Africa: Proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education was 1.36 GPIA in 2023. ▲ Rising
Proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education in South Africa, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.36 GPIA for proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and up 40.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education in South Africa peaked at 1.4 GPIA in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.6314 GPIA, in 2005.
South Africa ranks 2nd of 153 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 0.7538 GPIA | — |
| 1999 | 0.7217 GPIA | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 0.6724 GPIA | -6.8% |
| 2001 | 0.6819 GPIA | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 0.634 GPIA | -7.0% |
| 2003 | 0.6442 GPIA | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 0.6514 GPIA | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 0.6314 GPIA | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 0.9694 GPIA | +53.5% |
| 2017 | 1.19 GPIA | +23.1% |
| 2018 | 1.2 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 1.23 GPIA | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 1.26 GPIA | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 1.35 GPIA | +7.0% |
| 2022 | 1.4 GPIA | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 1.36 GPIA | -2.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.36 GPIA is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.8319 GPIA, 1.6× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.36 GPIA is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.6829 GPIA, 2.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +53.5% | 0.6314 GPIA | 0.9694 GPIA |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.7378 GPIA | 0.7217 GPIA | 0.7538 GPIA | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.6526 GPIA | 0.6314 GPIA | 0.6819 GPIA | 6 |
| 2010s | 1.15 GPIA | 0.9694 GPIA | 1.23 GPIA | 4 |
| 2020s | 1.34 GPIA | 1.26 GPIA | 1.4 GPIA | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 1 Lesotho 1.54 GPIA compare
- 3 Dominican Republic 1.34 GPIA compare
- 4 British Virgin Islands 1.2 GPIA compare
- 5 Brazil 1.19 GPIA 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 proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education in South Africa?
- Proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education in South Africa was 1.36 GPIA in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4 GPIA in 2022.
- What is the lowest proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6314 GPIA in 2005.
- How does South Africa rank for proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education?
- South Africa ranks 2nd out of 153 countries with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Proportion of 15-24 year-olds enrolled in vocational education, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release