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 68.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in in South Africa, 2003–2024
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 68.1%. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.4% on the previous year and up 52.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in in South Africa peaked at 68.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 27.7%, in 2009.
That places South Africa 26th out of 71 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 48.5% | — |
| 2004 | 44.1% | -9.0% |
| 2005 | 62.0% | +40.5% |
| 2006 | 53.1% | -14.4% |
| 2007 | 48.5% | -8.5% |
| 2008 | 33.5% | -30.9% |
| 2009 | 27.7% | -17.5% |
| 2010 | 38.8% | +40.3% |
| 2011 | 45.9% | +18.4% |
| 2012 | 47.4% | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 44.4% | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 44.7% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 55.6% | +24.3% |
| 2017 | 61.5% | +10.6% |
| 2018 | 67.2% | +9.3% |
| 2019 | 68.1% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 55.6% | -18.3% |
| 2021 | 47.2% | -15.1% |
| 2022 | 58.8% | +24.5% |
| 2023 | 61.7% | +5.0% |
| 2024 | 68.1% | +10.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 45.3% | 27.7% | 62.0% | 7 |
| 2010s | 52.6% | 38.8% | 68.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 58.3% | 47.2% | 68.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 23 Costa Rica 69.2% compare
- 24 Senegal 69.1% compare
- 25 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 68.3% compare
- 27 Spain 67.3% compare
- 28 Azerbaijan 65.4% compare
- 29 Belgium 64.6% 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 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 68.1% 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 68.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.7% in 2009.
- How does South Africa rank for teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 71 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 up 52.4%. 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 Teaching staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in pre-primary public institutions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release