School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity in South Africa
South Africa: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity was 1.05 GPIA in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
1.05 GPIA
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
90th
of 179 countries
All-time high
1.07 GPIA
in 1991
All-time low
1 GPIA
in 2015
Years of data
24
1989–2023
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity in South Africa, 1989–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity in South Africa is 1.05 GPIA, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity in South Africa peaked at 1.07 GPIA in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1 GPIA, in 2015.
South Africa ranks 90th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 1.06 GPIA | — |
| 1990 | 1.06 GPIA | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 1.07 GPIA | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 1.06 GPIA | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 1.02 GPIA | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 1.01 GPIA | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 1.02 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 1.03 GPIA | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 1.02 GPIA | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 1.03 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 1.03 GPIA | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 1.03 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 1.03 GPIA | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 1.04 GPIA | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 1.05 GPIA | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 1 GPIA | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 1.06 GPIA | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 1.06 GPIA | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 1.05 GPIA | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 1.05 GPIA | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 1.05 GPIA | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 1.06 GPIA | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 1.05 GPIA | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 1.05 GPIA | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.06 GPIA | 1.06 GPIA | 1.06 GPIA | 1 |
| 1990s | 1.06 GPIA | 1.06 GPIA | 1.07 GPIA | 3 |
| 2000s | 1.02 GPIA | 1.01 GPIA | 1.03 GPIA | 7 |
| 2010s | 1.04 GPIA | 1 GPIA | 1.06 GPIA | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.05 GPIA | 1.05 GPIA | 1.06 GPIA | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 87 Albania 1.06 GPIA compare
- 88 Serbia 1.05 GPIA compare
- 89 Netherlands 1.05 GPIA compare
- 91 Burkina Faso 1.05 GPIA compare
- 92 Botswana 1.05 GPIA compare
- 93 New Zealand 1.05 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 school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity in South Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity in South Africa was 1.05 GPIA in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.07 GPIA in 1991.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 GPIA in 2015.
- How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity?
- South Africa ranks 90th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release