Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in South Africa

South Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes was 361,511 number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
361,511 number
Change on year
up 6.4%
World rank
18th
of 143 countries
All-time high
361,511 number
in 2018
All-time low
314,503 number
in 2016
Years of data
7
2012–2018

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in South Africa, 2012–2018

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k2012201520182012: 336.5k number2013: 327.5k number2014: 321.6k number2015: 328.9k number2016: 314.5k number2017: 339.8k number2018: 361.5k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 361,511 number for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in 2018. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

That represents a change of up 6.4% on the previous year and up 7.4% over ten years.

South Africa ranks 18th of 143 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number) in South Africa, 2012 to 2018.
Year number Change
2012 336,514 number
2013 327,521 number -2.7%
2014 321,623 number -1.8%
2015 328,903 number +2.3%
2016 314,503 number -4.4%
2017 339,791 number +8.0%
2018 361,511 number +6.4%

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 15 Spain 414,386 number compare
  2. 16 Malaysia 398,615 number compare
  3. 17 Ukraine 383,710 number compare
  4. 19 Canada 361,504 number compare
  5. 20 Chile 347,377 number compare
  6. 21 Thailand 345,866 number compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in South Africa?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in South Africa was 361,511 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 361,511 number in 2018.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 314,503 number in 2016.
How does South Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes?
South Africa ranks 18th out of 143 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. 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, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-5-programmes-both-sexes-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
188 places, 2,883 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in public and private short-cycle tertiary education programmes (ISCED 5).