Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, male in South Africa
South Africa: Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, male was 94.0% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, male in South Africa, 1990–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, survival rate to the last grade of primary education, male in South Africa stood at 94.0%.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 33.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, survival rate to the last grade of primary education, male in South Africa peaked at 95.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 58.6%, in 1999.
That places South Africa 70th out of 164 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 63.2% | — |
| 1998 | 67.5% | +6.8% |
| 1999 | 58.6% | -13.2% |
| 2001 | 76.1% | +30.0% |
| 2002 | 75.3% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 75.0% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 70.6% | -5.8% |
| 2017 | 87.3% | +23.6% |
| 2018 | 94.0% | +7.6% |
| 2019 | 95.8% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 93.8% | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 94.0% | +0.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 94.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 94.0%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 94.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.3%, 1.5× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63.1% | 58.6% | 67.5% | 3 |
| 2000s | 75.5% | 75.0% | 76.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 86.9% | 70.6% | 95.8% | 4 |
| 2020s | 93.9% | 93.8% | 94.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 67 Cape Verde 94.6% compare
- 68 New Caledonia 94.5%
- 69 Latvia 94.3% compare
- 71 Viet Nam 94.0% compare
- 72 North Macedonia 93.9% compare
- 73 Costa Rica 93.8% 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, male in South Africa?
- Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, male in South Africa was 94.0% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest survival rate to the last grade of primary education, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 2019.
- What is the lowest survival rate to the last grade of primary education, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.6% in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for survival rate to the last grade of primary education, male?
- South Africa ranks 70th out of 164 countries with data for 2022.
- Is survival rate to the last grade of primary education, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.2%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release