In 2023, the duration of compulsory education in South Africa did not change in comparison to the previous year. The duration of compulsory education remained at nine years. The duration of compulsory education refers to the number of years that children are obliged to attend schoolFind more statistics on other topics about South Africa with key insights such as Gender Parity Index (GPI) for gross enrollment in tertiary education, Gender Parity Index (GPI) in youth literacy, and gross enrollment ratio for secondary school students .

South Africa ZA: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Upper Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Male: % Cumulative data was reported at 66.649 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 65.796 % for 2014. South Africa ZA: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Upper Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Male: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 54.374 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2015, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 66.649 % in 2015 and a record low of 8.755 % in 1985. South Africa ZA: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Upper Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Male: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed upper secondary education.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

South Africa ZA: Educational Attainment: At Least Bachelor's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative data was reported at 5.716 % in 2015. South Africa ZA: Educational Attainment: At Least Bachelor's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 5.716 % from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2015, with 1 observations. South Africa ZA: Educational Attainment: At Least Bachelor's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed Bachelor's or equivalent.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

The gross tertiary enrollment ratio in South Africa increased by 1.8 percentage points (+7.1 percent) in 2022 in comparison to the previous year. With 27.17 percent, the gross tertiary enrollment ratio thereby reached its highest value in the observed period. Notably, the gross tertiary enrollment ratio continuously increased over the last years.The gross tertiary enrollment ratio refers to the number of students enrolled in tertiary education regardless of age expressed as a percentage of the population of the age group corresponding to the given level.Find more statistics on other topics about South Africa with key insights such as Gender Parity Index (GPI) in youth literacy, gross enrollment ratio for secondary school students , and Gender Parity Index (GPI) for gross enrollment in tertiary education.

Higher education performance indicators

In 2022, approximately 76 percent of individuals aged 7 to 24 years attended educational institutions in South Africa. While Mpumalanga experienced a slight increase of 0.1 percentage points over that period, other provinces like the Northern Cape, Western Cape, and Free State experienced higher increases of 7.3, 6.4, and 5.4 percentage points, respectively.

Between the years 2015 to 2022, the percentage rate of individuals aged 20 years and older in South Africa who have attained 12th grade has generally been increasing from 28.3 percent to 34.6 percent. Individuals without any school education at all have decreased from five percent to 3.3 percent within the given time period.

In 2018, tertiary education attainment was highest among the White population in South Africa, with around 43.2, 41.3 and 5.6 percent of the individuals associated with Generation X, Millennials, and Born-free Millennials, respectively. Moreover, compared to the generation of Millennials, tertiary school completion was higher in all population groups in Generation X, except among Indians/Asians. Furthermore, the total share of Millennials who received a tertiary education (12.9 percent) was slightly lower than that of Generation X. However, the source indicates that a possible explanation to that is that some of the Millennials were still obtaining their higher education degrees.

Educational attainment, at least completed post-secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative) in South Africa was reported at 15.31 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Educational attainment, at least completed post-secondary, population 25+, total (cumulative) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

As of 2022, 5.5 percent of Black Africans aged 18 to 29 were enrolled at a higher education institution in South Africa, which marks an increase of 2.6 percentage points compared to 2002. And while Black Africans constituted the majority of young adult students in numbers, the participation rate of this population group continued to be lower compared to the Indian/Asians at 19.6 percent and the white population group at 17.7 percent.

The number of South African students at the tertiary level studying abroad amounted to 10,503 in 2019. North America and Western Europe were the most popular destinations, with around 4,000 students. Latin America and the Caribbean followed with 2,855 South African enrollees in the same year.

In 2018, the population group with the highest share of children between the ages of 14 and 17 years in secondary education in South Africa was Asian/Indian, at 87.8 percent. Moreover, 83.3 percent of the Black African children were enrolled in secondary education. The population group with the lowest secondary education enrollment level was the White population, at 73.3 percent.

In 2018, majority of the children between the ages of six and 13 years (93.4 percent) were enrolled in public schools, contrary to the 6.6 percent registered in private schools. Moreover, in the preceding year, the percentage of children within the age group who were in private schools reached its highest, at 6.8 percent. Overall, the share of children attending both public and private schools was relatively stable throughout the period under study.

The number of children out of school in South Africa increased by 351,713 children (+61.91 percent) compared to the previous year. The year therefore marks a significant change in the number of children out of school compared to the previous year. Out-of-school children are the number of school-age children enrolled in primary or secondary school minus the total population of the official primary school-age children.Find more statistics on other topics about South Africa with key insights such as gross enrollment ratio for secondary school students , youth literacy rate (people aged 15-24), and duration of compulsory education.

South Africa's education landscape is dominated by public schools, which account for over 90 percent of the country's nearly 25,000 educational institutions. As of 2024, there are 22,381 public schools compared to 2,469 independent schools. This stark contrast highlights the government's significant role in providing education to the nation's youth and underscores the challenges faced in ensuring quality education across such a vast network of schools. Regional disparities in school distribution and staffing KwaZulu-Natal leads the nation with 6,030 schools, followed by the Eastern Cape and Limpopo. However, when it comes to teaching staff, Gauteng takes the top spot with 98,140 educators, despite having fewer schools than KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. This disparity suggests varying student-to-teacher ratios across provinces, potentially impacting educational quality and outcomes. The concentration of independent school teachers in Gauteng also indicates a more diverse educational landscape in the province. Education's impact on employment prospects The distribution of schools and teachers across South Africa has far-reaching implications for the country's workforce. As of the fourth quarter of 2023, the unemployment rate stood at 32.1 percent, with individuals having less than a matric education constituting the largest portion of the unemployed. In contrast, university graduates had the lowest unemployment rate at approximately 10 percent. This stark difference underscores the critical importance of accessible, quality education in improving employment prospects and addressing South Africa's persistent unemployment challenges.

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction programmes, both sexes (%) in South Africa was reported at 7.9958 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction programmes, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Abstract

The data collected from the SNAP Survey of Ordinary Schools is collected from all schools each year. The data forms part of the national Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) database used to inform education policymakers and managers in the Department of Basic Education and the Provincial education departments, as well as to provide valuable information to external stakeholders. For example, general school data from the survey is used to compile and maintain the Master List of Schools in the country for education planning purposes.

Geographic coverage

The survey has national coverage

Analysis unit

The units of analysis in the survey are schools in South Africa and their staff and learners

Universe

The survey covers all Ordinary Schools in South Africa, both Public and Independent. This survey does not cover Special Schools as the DBE conducts a separate survey of Special Schools annually.

Kind of data

Administrative records data [adm]

Mode of data collection

Other [oth]

Research instrument

Data is collected with a survey questionnaire and educator forms. The principle completes the survey questionnaire and each educator (both state paid and other) in each school completes an educator form. Schools record the EMIS number provided by the DBE on the questionnaires and forms for identification.

Data appraisal

The data files do not cover the same period. Dates covered for each file are:

Applicable school grades data file (2010-2013) General school data file (2007-2013) Learner enrolment data files (1997-2013) Master list data file (1997-2013) Remuneration of practitioners data file (2010-2013) Staff remuneration data file (1997-2013)

The 1997 and 1998 data in this dataset cannot be matched with other years as the learner count is too low. The 1997 data also does not include data on schools in the Eastern Cape Province and the Limpopo Province The 1998 data does not include data on schools in the Limpopo Province

The Applicable grades data file does not include unique identifiers.

South Africa: Education service price index, world average = 100: The latest value from 2021 is 104.46 index points, an increase from 72.59 index points in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 72.61 index points, based on data from 165 countries. Historically, the average for South Africa from 2017 to 2021 is 88.53 index points. The minimum value, 72.59 index points, was reached in 2017 while the maximum of 104.46 index points was recorded in 2021.

Graph and download economic data for Ratio of Female to Male Secondary School Enrollment for South Africa (SEENRSECOFMZSZAF) from 1989 to 2020 about enrolled, South Africa, secondary schooling, secondary, females, males, ratio, and education.

Unemployment with advanced education (% of total labor force with advanced education) in South Africa was reported at 15.14 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Unemployment with advanced education (% of total unemployment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.