Total net enrolment rate, primary, female in South Africa
South Africa: Total net enrolment rate, primary, female was 94.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Total net enrolment rate, primary, female in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total net enrolment rate, primary, female in South Africa is 94.1%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total net enrolment rate, primary, female in South Africa peaked at 99.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 69.3%, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 100th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Total net enrolment rate, primary, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 69.3% | — |
| 1991 | 88.2% | +27.3% |
| 1994 | 84.9% | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 83.4% | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 83.7% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 85.0% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 83.6% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 85.1% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 86.7% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 87.6% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 88.1% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 88.4% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 96.4% | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 91.7% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 92.7% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 92.7% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 99.7% | +7.5% |
| 2022 | 94.4% | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 94.1% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 69.3% | 69.3% | 69.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 85.0% | 83.4% | 88.2% | 5 |
| 2000s | 86.6% | 83.6% | 88.4% | 6 |
| 2010s | 93.6% | 91.7% | 96.4% | 3 |
| 2020s | 95.2% | 92.7% | 99.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 97 Georgia 94.1% compare
- 98 Serbia 94.1% compare
- 99 Dominica 94.1% compare
- 101 Trinidad and Tobago 93.8% compare
- 102 Saint Lucia 93.6% compare
- 103 Seychelles 93.5% compare
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total net enrolment rate, primary, female in South Africa?
- Total net enrolment rate, primary, female in South Africa was 94.1% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total net enrolment rate, primary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 99.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest total net enrolment rate, primary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.3% in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for total net enrolment rate, primary, female?
- South Africa ranks 100th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total net enrolment rate, primary, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. 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 Total net enrolment rate, primary, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release