Womens educational attainment vs fertility in South Africa
South Africa: Womens educational attainment vs fertility was 2.22 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.22
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
96th
of 229 countries
All-time high
6.14
in 1958
All-time low
2.22
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Womens educational attainment vs fertility in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, womens educational attainment vs fertility in South Africa stood at 2.22. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, womens educational attainment vs fertility in South Africa peaked at 6.14 in 1958 and was at its lowest, 2.22, in 2023.
That places South Africa 96th out of 229 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Womens educational attainment vs fertility in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.03 | — |
| 1951 | 6.06 | +0.5% |
| 1952 | 6.08 | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 6.09 | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 6.11 | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 6.13 | +0.3% |
| 1956 | 6.13 | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 6.14 | +0.1% |
| 1958 | 6.14 | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 6.13 | -0.3% |
| 1960 | 6.11 | -0.3% |
| 1961 | 6.08 | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 6.05 | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 6.01 | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 5.96 | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 5.89 | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 5.91 | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 5.85 | -0.9% |
| 1968 | 5.78 | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 5.72 | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 5.63 | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 5.57 | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 5.49 | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 5.41 | -1.4% |
| 1974 | 5.3 | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 5.19 | -2.0% |
| 1976 | 5.07 | -2.3% |
| 1977 | 4.94 | -2.5% |
| 1978 | 4.85 | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 4.82 | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 4.78 | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 4.71 | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 4.7 | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 4.63 | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 4.57 | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 4.5 | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 4.41 | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 4.35 | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 4.18 | -4.0% |
| 1989 | 3.98 | -4.7% |
| 1990 | 3.72 | -6.5% |
| 1991 | 3.62 | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 3.48 | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 3.37 | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 3.26 | -3.4% |
| 1995 | 3.17 | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 2.99 | -5.7% |
| 1997 | 2.73 | -8.6% |
| 1998 | 2.63 | -3.8% |
| 1999 | 2.56 | -2.7% |
| 2000 | 2.41 | -5.7% |
| 2001 | 2.37 | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 2.32 | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 2.36 | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 2.44 | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 2.51 | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 2.55 | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 2.54 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 2.68 | +5.3% |
| 2009 | 2.5 | -6.6% |
| 2010 | 2.44 | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 2.44 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.45 | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 2.43 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 2.42 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 2.36 | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 2.26 | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 2.28 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 2.27 | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 2.26 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 2.26 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 2.25 | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 2.23 | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 2.22 | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.1 | 6.03 | 6.14 | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.94 | 5.72 | 6.11 | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.23 | 4.82 | 5.63 | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.48 | 3.98 | 4.78 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.15 | 2.56 | 3.72 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.47 | 2.32 | 2.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.36 | 2.26 | 2.45 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.24 | 2.22 | 2.26 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 287,310 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 101.77 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 101.8% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is womens educational attainment vs fertility in South Africa?
- Womens educational attainment vs fertility in South Africa was 2.22 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest womens educational attainment vs fertility recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.14 in 1958.
- What is the lowest womens educational attainment vs fertility recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.22 in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for womens educational attainment vs fertility?
- South Africa ranks 96th out of 229 countries with data for 2023.
- Is womens educational attainment vs fertility rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Womens educational attainment vs fertility. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).