Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes was 95.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa, 1990–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa stood at 95.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 96.6% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 57.5%, in 1999.
That places South Africa 70th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 67.9% | — |
| 1998 | 69.9% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 57.5% | -17.8% |
| 2001 | 80.1% | +39.4% |
| 2002 | 78.7% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 77.0% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 79.7% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 89.7% | +12.6% |
| 2018 | 96.6% | +7.7% |
| 2019 | 95.6% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 95.5% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 92.8% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 95.4% | +2.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 95.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 94.2%, 1.0× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 95.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 65.9%, 1.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +39.4% | 57.5% | 80.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 65.1% | 57.5% | 69.9% | 3 |
| 2000s | 78.6% | 77.0% | 80.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 90.4% | 79.7% | 96.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 94.5% | 92.8% | 95.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 67 Hong Kong 95.6% compare
- 68 Moldova 95.5% compare
- 69 Saint Kitts and Nevis 95.4% compare
- 71 Seychelles 95.3% compare
- 72 Jordan 95.2% compare
- 73 Cape Verde 94.9% compare
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa?
- Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa was 95.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 96.6% in 2018.
- What is the lowest survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.5% in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 70th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.7%. 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 Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release