Secondary education, general pupils in South Africa
South Africa: Secondary education, general pupils was 4.70 million in 2017. ▲ Rising
Secondary education, general pupils in South Africa, 1970–2017
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for secondary education, general pupils in South Africa is 4.70 million, measured in 2017.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, secondary education, general pupils in South Africa peaked at 4.90 million in 2015 and was at its lowest, 542,194, in 1970.
That places South Africa 21st out of 204 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Secondary education, general pupils in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 542,194 | — |
| 1986 | 1.59 million | +194.0% |
| 1987 | 1.77 million | +10.8% |
| 1988 | 1.93 million | +9.2% |
| 1989 | 2.51 million | +30.2% |
| 1990 | 2.70 million | +7.5% |
| 1991 | 2.90 million | +7.5% |
| 1992 | 2.48 million | -14.5% |
| 1993 | 2.66 million | +7.2% |
| 1994 | 3.52 million | +32.5% |
| 1995 | 3.75 million | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 4.08 million | +8.9% |
| 1999 | 4.08 million | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 3.94 million | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 4.03 million | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 4.11 million | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 4.19 million | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 4.32 million | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 4.43 million | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 4.54 million | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 4.55 million | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 4.40 million | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 4.42 million | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 4.47 million | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 4.53 million | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 4.60 million | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 4.86 million | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 4.90 million | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 4.78 million | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 4.70 million | -1.7% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Secondary education, general pupils 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +194.0% | 542,194 | 1.59 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 542,194 | 542,194 | 542,194 | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.95 million | 1.59 million | 2.51 million | 4 |
| 1990s | 3.27 million | 2.48 million | 4.08 million | 8 |
| 2000s | 4.29 million | 3.94 million | 4.55 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.69 million | 4.47 million | 4.90 million | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 94.05 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 93.94 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is secondary education, general pupils in South Africa?
- Secondary education, general pupils in South Africa was 4.70 million in 2017, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest secondary education, general pupils recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.90 million in 2015.
- What is the lowest secondary education, general pupils recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 542,194 in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for secondary education, general pupils?
- South Africa ranks 21st out of 204 countries with data for 2017.
- Is secondary education, general pupils rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Secondary education, general pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Secondary general pupils are the number of secondary students enrolled in general education programs, including teacher training.