School life expectancy, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA) in South Africa
South Africa: School life expectancy, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA) was 1.4 GPIA in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa, 1988–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa stood at 1.4 GPIA. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa peaked at 1.4 GPIA in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.8428 GPIA, in 1990.
That places South Africa 38th out of 191 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
School life expectancy, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 0.8746 GPIA | — |
| 1989 | 0.8908 GPIA | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 0.8428 GPIA | -5.4% |
| 1991 | 0.8895 GPIA | +5.5% |
| 1992 | 0.9143 GPIA | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 0.8766 GPIA | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 1.02 GPIA | +16.7% |
| 2002 | 1.03 GPIA | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 1.04 GPIA | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 1.07 GPIA | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 1.1 GPIA | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 1.12 GPIA | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 1.15 GPIA | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 1.22 GPIA | +6.1% |
| 2010 | 1.24 GPIA | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 1.26 GPIA | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 1.25 GPIA | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 1.26 GPIA | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 1.26 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 1.27 GPIA | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 1.27 GPIA | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 1.28 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 1.29 GPIA | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 1.31 GPIA | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 1.34 GPIA | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 1.36 GPIA | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 1.38 GPIA | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 1.4 GPIA | +1.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.4 GPIA is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.26 GPIA, 1.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.4 GPIA is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.7817 GPIA, 1.8× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8827 GPIA | 0.8746 GPIA | 0.8908 GPIA | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.9091 GPIA | 0.8428 GPIA | 1.02 GPIA | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.1 GPIA | 1.03 GPIA | 1.22 GPIA | 7 |
| 2010s | 1.27 GPIA | 1.24 GPIA | 1.31 GPIA | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.37 GPIA | 1.34 GPIA | 1.4 GPIA | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa was 1.4 GPIA in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4 GPIA in 2023.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8428 GPIA in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index?
- South Africa ranks 38th out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. 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 School life expectancy, tertiary, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release