Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students … male in South Africa
South Africa: Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students … male was 7,118 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in South Africa stood at 7,118. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.0% on the previous year and up 81.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in South Africa peaked at 7,118 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 89th of 235 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students … male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0 | — |
| 1971 | 0 | — |
| 1972 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0 | — |
| 1980 | 0 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 0 | — |
| 1991 | 0 | — |
| 1992 | 0 | — |
| 1993 | 0 | — |
| 1994 | 0 | — |
| 1995 | 0 | — |
| 1996 | 0 | — |
| 1997 | 0 | — |
| 1998 | 4,889 | — |
| 1999 | 4,894 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 5,677 | +16.0% |
| 2001 | 6,160 | +8.5% |
| 2002 | 6,428 | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 6,380 | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 5,788 | -9.3% |
| 2005 | 5,740 | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 5,861 | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 5,983 | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 5,782 | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 6,672 | +15.4% |
| 2010 | 6,646 | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 6,577 | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 3,695 | -43.8% |
| 2013 | 3,929 | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 4,544 | +15.7% |
| 2015 | 4,986 | +9.7% |
| 2016 | 5,656 | +13.4% |
| 2017 | 5,899 | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 6,517 | +10.5% |
| 2019 | 6,773 | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 7,037 | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 6,731 | -4.3% |
| 2022 | 6,716 | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 7,118 | +6.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 7,118 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5,878, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 7,118 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5,093, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students … male in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | -43.8% | 6,577 | 3,695 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990s | 978.3 | 0 | 4,894 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6,047 | 5,677 | 6,672 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,522 | 3,695 | 6,773 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6,900 | 6,716 | 7,118 | 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 outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in South Africa?
- Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in South Africa was 7,118 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 7,118 in 2023.
- What is the lowest total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying?
- South Africa ranks 89th out of 235 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 81.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying abroad, all countries, male (UIS estimate) (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release