Share of students from abroad in South Africa
South Africa: Share of students from abroad was 3.23 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.23
Change on year
up 28.9%
World rank
81st
of 134 countries
All-time high
4.28
in 2016
All-time low
2.5
in 2022
Years of data
12
2012–2023
Share of students from abroad in South Africa, 2012–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of students from abroad in South Africa is 3.23, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 28.9% on the previous year and down 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in South Africa peaked at 4.28 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2.5, in 2022.
South Africa ranks 81st of 134 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Share of students from abroad in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 4.19 | — |
| 2013 | 4.09 | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 4.18 | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 4.12 | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 4.28 | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 4.06 | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 3.59 | -11.6% |
| 2019 | 3.47 | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 3.04 | -12.3% |
| 2021 | 2.92 | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 2.5 | -14.4% |
| 2023 | 3.23 | +28.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 3.23 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.03, 1.1× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 3.23 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.61, 2.0× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4 | 3.47 | 4.28 | 8 |
| 2020s | 2.92 | 2.5 | 3.23 | 4 |
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 share of students from abroad in South Africa?
- Share of students from abroad in South Africa was 3.23 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students from abroad recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.28 in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5 in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for share of students from abroad?
- South Africa ranks 81st out of 134 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of students from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).