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
159th
of 175 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 159th of 175 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% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.11 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.15, 22% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.11 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.63, 17% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
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
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 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 159th out of 175 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).