Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes was 86.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa is 86.9%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 12.4% on the previous year and up 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 99.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 62.5%, in 2001.
South Africa ranks 72nd of 184 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 84.8% | — |
| 1999 | 67.4% | -20.6% |
| 2000 | 65.1% | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 62.5% | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 65.4% | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 65.9% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 65.9% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 66.9% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 82.1% | +22.8% |
| 2017 | 82.0% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 78.7% | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 79.1% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 82.8% | +4.6% |
| 2021 | 86.0% | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 99.2% | +15.4% |
| 2023 | 86.9% | -12.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.1% | 67.4% | 84.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 65.3% | 62.5% | 66.9% | 6 |
| 2010s | 80.5% | 78.7% | 82.1% | 4 |
| 2020s | 88.7% | 82.8% | 99.2% | 4 |
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 total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa?
- Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa was 86.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 99.2% in 2022.
- What is the lowest total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.5% in 2001.
- How does South Africa rank for total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 72nd out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. 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, upper secondary, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release