Secondary education, teachers in South Africa
South Africa: Secondary education, teachers was 181,739 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Secondary education, teachers in South Africa, 1991–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2023, secondary education, teachers in South Africa stood at 181,739.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, secondary education, teachers in South Africa peaked at 192,359 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 113,215, in 1991.
That places South Africa 38th out of 201 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Secondary education, teachers in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 113,215 | — |
| 1998 | 143,804 | +27.0% |
| 1999 | 144,949 | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 147,612 | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 154,960 | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 146,643 | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 149,046 | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 149,375 | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 141,562 | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 158,544 | +12.0% |
| 2007 | 164,990 | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 168,556 | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 187,162 | +11.0% |
| 2015 | 190,022 | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 192,359 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 191,493 | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 187,854 | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 179,504 | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 182,070 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 181,739 | -0.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 181,739 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 34,286, 5.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 181,739 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 30,714, 5.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Secondary education, teachers 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +27.0% | 113,215 | 143,804 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 133,989 | 113,215 | 144,949 | 3 |
| 2000s | 156,845 | 141,562 | 187,162 | 10 |
| 2010s | 191,291 | 190,022 | 192,359 | 3 |
| 2020s | 182,792 | 179,504 | 187,854 | 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 secondary education, teachers in South Africa?
- Secondary education, teachers in South Africa was 181,739 in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest secondary education, teachers recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 192,359 in 2016.
- What is the lowest secondary education, teachers recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 113,215 in 1991.
- How does South Africa rank for secondary education, teachers?
- South Africa ranks 38th out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
- Is secondary education, teachers rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. 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 Secondary education, teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Secondary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at secondary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.