Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in South Africa
South Africa: Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general was 94.8% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
94.8%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
95th
of 219 countries
All-time high
98.8%
in 1991
All-time low
92.3%
in 2016
Years of data
29
1989–2023
Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in South Africa, 1989–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in South Africa stood at 94.8%.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in South Africa peaked at 98.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 92.3%, in 2016.
South Africa ranks 95th of 219 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 98.4% | — |
| 1990 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 98.8% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 98.7% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 96.2% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 96.2% | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 95.2% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 94.8% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 94.4% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 94.2% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 94.0% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 95.1% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 94.9% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 94.5% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 94.3% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 94.3% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 95.3% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 95.3% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 94.9% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 93.0% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 92.9% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 92.3% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 92.8% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 92.8% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 93.0% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 94.4% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 94.2% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 95.1% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 94.8% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 98.4% | 98.4% | 98.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 97.7% | 96.2% | 98.8% | 5 |
| 2000s | 94.6% | 94.0% | 95.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.6% | 92.3% | 95.3% | 9 |
| 2020s | 94.6% | 94.2% | 95.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 92 United Arab Emirates 95.0% compare
- 93 Jordan 95.0% compare
- 94 Burkina Faso 94.9% compare
- 96 Bahrain 94.7% compare
- 97 Russian Federation 94.7% compare
- 98 Sao Tome and Principe 94.4% 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 share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in South Africa?
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in South Africa was 94.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 98.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 92.3% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general?
- South Africa ranks 95th out of 219 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. 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 Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release