Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa
South Africa: Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in was 9.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa stood at 9.5%.
The figure is up 5.2% on the previous year and up 28.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa peaked at 11.6% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 1998.
That places South Africa 108th out of 168 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 5.6% | — |
| 1999 | 5.7% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 7.0% | +23.1% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 8.1% | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 7.8% | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 8.0% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | -19.9% |
| 2006 | 6.8% | +5.9% |
| 2007 | 7.2% | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 7.6% | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 8.0% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 7.1% | -11.6% |
| 2011 | 7.1% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 7.4% | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 11.4% | +54.5% |
| 2016 | 11.5% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 10.7% | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 11.4% | +5.9% |
| 2019 | 11.6% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 9.9% | -14.2% |
| 2021 | 10.2% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 9.0% | -11.6% |
| 2023 | 9.5% | +5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.7% | 5.6% | 5.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.4% | 6.4% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.8% | 7.1% | 11.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 9.6% | 9.0% | 10.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 105 Central African Republic 9.9% compare
- 106 Cyprus 9.8% compare
- 107 Uzbekistan 9.8% compare
- 109 Malaysia 9.0% compare
- 110 San Marino 9.0% compare
- 111 Côte d'Ivoire 8.7% compare
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa?
- Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa was 9.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 11.6% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 1998.
- How does South Africa rank for share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in?
- South Africa ranks 108th out of 168 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.3%. 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 Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in vocational programmes, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release