Teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in in South Africa
South Africa: Teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in was 19.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in in South Africa, 2006–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in in South Africa stood at 19.8%.
That represents a change of down 33.1% on the previous year and down 38.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in in South Africa peaked at 63.7% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 16.3%, in 2020.
South Africa ranks 35th of 44 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 63.7% | — |
| 2007 | 50.9% | -20.1% |
| 2008 | 45.2% | -11.3% |
| 2009 | 40.5% | -10.3% |
| 2017 | 32.0% | -21.1% |
| 2018 | 30.4% | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 21.2% | -30.1% |
| 2020 | 16.3% | -23.0% |
| 2021 | 30.6% | +87.1% |
| 2022 | 26.4% | -13.6% |
| 2023 | 29.6% | +12.1% |
| 2024 | 19.8% | -33.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 50.1% | 40.5% | 63.7% | 4 |
| 2010s | 27.9% | 21.2% | 32.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 24.5% | 16.3% | 30.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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 teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in in South Africa?
- Teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in in South Africa was 19.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 63.7% in 2006.
- What is the lowest teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.3% in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in?
- South Africa ranks 35th out of 44 countries with data for 2024.
- Is teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in post-secondary non-tertiary public institutions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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