Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in South Africa

South Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male was 482,205 number in 2018. β–² Rising

Latest (2018)
482,205 number
Change on year
up 4.1%
World rank
38th
of 187 countries
All-time high
482,205 number
in 2018
All-time low
205,342 number
in 1988
Years of data
14
1988–2018

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in South Africa, 1988–2018

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k1988200320181988: 205.3k number1989: 227.4k number1990: 244.0k number1991: 253.9k number1992: 262.4k number1993: 297.4k number1994: 321.1k number2012: 422.2k number2013: 433.5k number2014: 426.7k number2015: 439.7k number2016: 442.5k number2017: 463.1k number2018: 482.2k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in South Africa stood at 482,205 number. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.

That represents a change of up 4.1% on the previous year and up 14.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in South Africa peaked at 482,205 number in 2018 and was at its lowest, 205,342 number, in 1988.

South Africa ranks 38th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 216,394 number 205,342 number 227,446 number 2
1990s 275,739 number 243,964 number 321,053 number 5
2010s 444,277 number 422,204 number 482,205 number 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 35 Morocco 565,139 number compare
  2. 36 Malaysia 549,378 number compare
  3. 37 Ethiopia, The Federal Democratic Republic of 513,766 number compare
  4. 39 Netherlands, The 426,322 number compare
  5. 40 Greece 393,095 number compare
  6. 41 Myanmar 386,298 number compare

See the full ranking of 232 places β†’

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in South Africa?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in South Africa was 482,205 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 482,205 number in 2018.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 205,342 number in 1988.
How does South Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male?
South Africa ranks 38th out of 187 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.2%. 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 Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-male-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
232 places, 7,125 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

The total number of male students enrolled at public and private tertiary education institutions.