Share of students studying abroad in South Africa
South Africa: Share of students studying abroad was 1.11 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.11
Change on year
up 8.0%
World rank
158th
of 174 countries
All-time high
1.12
in 2020
All-time low
0.6539
in 2012
Years of data
12
2012–2023
Share of students studying abroad in South Africa, 2012–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.11 for share of students studying abroad in 2023.
The figure is up 8.0% on the previous year and up 62.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students studying abroad in South Africa peaked at 1.12 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.6539, in 2012.
South Africa ranks 158th of 174 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Share of students studying abroad in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 0.6539 | — |
| 2013 | 0.6826 | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 0.8044 | +17.8% |
| 2015 | 0.8598 | +6.9% |
| 2016 | 0.9562 | +11.2% |
| 2017 | 0.959 | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 1.02 | +5.9% |
| 2019 | 1.07 | +5.6% |
| 2020 | 1.12 | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 1.09 | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 1.03 | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 1.11 | +8.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.8756 | 0.6539 | 1.07 | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.09 | 1.03 | 1.12 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 155 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.28 compare
- 156 Iraq 1.26
- 157 Myanmar 1.16 compare
- 159 Dominican Republic 1.04 compare
- 160 Russian Federation 0.9311 compare
- 161 Brazil 0.8688 compare
More education data for South Africa
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 287,310 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students studying abroad in South Africa?
- Share of students studying abroad in South Africa was 1.11 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students studying abroad recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.12 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of students studying abroad recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6539 in 2012.
- How does South Africa rank for share of students studying abroad?
- South Africa ranks 158th out of 174 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of students studying abroad rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 62.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of students studying 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).