Share of the world's population with formal basic education in South Africa
South Africa: Share of the world's population with formal basic education was 5.4% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the world's population with formal basic education in South Africa, 1950–2020
Source: World Bank (2024); van Zanden, J. et al.; Wittgenstein Centre (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the world's population with formal basic education in South Africa is 5.4%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 27.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the world's population with formal basic education in South Africa peaked at 56.2% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2020.
South Africa ranks 6th of 25 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the world's population with formal basic education in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 56.2% | — |
| 1955 | 51.2% | -8.9% |
| 1960 | 45.9% | -10.3% |
| 1965 | 40.8% | -11.2% |
| 1970 | 35.0% | -14.2% |
| 1975 | 29.7% | -15.3% |
| 1980 | 24.9% | -16.1% |
| 1985 | 20.6% | -17.3% |
| 1990 | 16.9% | -18.0% |
| 1995 | 13.8% | -18.0% |
| 2000 | 11.4% | -17.7% |
| 2005 | 9.2% | -19.0% |
| 2010 | 7.4% | -20.0% |
| 2015 | 5.7% | -22.4% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | -6.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 53.7% | 51.2% | 56.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 43.4% | 40.8% | 45.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 32.3% | 29.7% | 35.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 22.7% | 20.6% | 24.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 15.4% | 13.8% | 16.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 10.3% | 9.2% | 11.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 6.6% | 5.7% | 7.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the world's population with formal basic education in South Africa?
- Share of the world's population with formal basic education in South Africa was 5.4% in 2020, according to World Bank (2024); van Zanden, J. et al.; Wittgenstein Centre (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the world's population with formal basic education recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 56.2% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of the world's population with formal basic education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for share of the world's population with formal basic education?
- South Africa ranks 6th out of 25 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the world's population with formal basic education rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank (2024); van Zanden, J. et al.; Wittgenstein Centre (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the world's population with formal basic education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people aged 15 or older who have not received some kind of formal primary, secondary, or tertiary education.