Total net enrolment rate, primary, male in South Africa
South Africa: Total net enrolment rate, primary, male was 93.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Total net enrolment rate, primary, male in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total net enrolment rate, primary, male in South Africa is 93.8%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total net enrolment rate, primary, male in South Africa peaked at 94.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 66.2%, in 1970.
That places South Africa 97th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 66.2% | — |
| 1991 | 83.3% | +25.8% |
| 1994 | 82.1% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 80.7% | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 80.0% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 81.2% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 80.8% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 81.6% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 83.0% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 84.4% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 85.3% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 85.6% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 91.1% | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 89.7% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 90.7% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 91.0% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 92.7% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 94.1% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 93.8% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 66.2% | 66.2% | 66.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 81.5% | 80.0% | 83.3% | 5 |
| 2000s | 83.5% | 80.8% | 85.6% | 6 |
| 2010s | 90.5% | 89.7% | 91.1% | 3 |
| 2020s | 92.9% | 91.0% | 94.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total net enrolment rate, primary, male in South Africa?
- Total net enrolment rate, primary, male in South Africa was 93.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total net enrolment rate, primary, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 94.1% in 2022.
- What is the lowest total net enrolment rate, primary, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.2% in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for total net enrolment rate, primary, male?
- South Africa ranks 97th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total net enrolment rate, primary, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. 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, male (%). 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