Initial government funding per secondary student, constant PPP$ in South Africa

South Africa: Initial government funding per secondary student, constant PPP$ was 2,871 in 2019. β–² Rising

Latest (2019)
2,871
Change on year
up 6.7%
World rank
54th
of 102 countries
All-time high
2,871
in 2019
All-time low
1,721
in 2002
Years of data
18
1999–2019

Initial government funding per secondary student, constant PPP$ in South Africa, 1999–2019

01.0k2.0k3.0k1999200920191999: 2.0k2000: 1.7k2001: 1.7k2002: 1.7k2003: 1.9k2004: 2.0k2005: 1.9k2006: 1.8k2007: 2.0k2008: 1.9k2009: 2.2k2010: 2.4k2011: 2.6k2012: 2.6k2015: 2.4k2017: 2.5k2018: 2.7k2019: 2.9k

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for initial government funding per secondary student, constant ppp$ in South Africa is 2,871, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.7% on the previous year and up 32.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, initial government funding per secondary student, constant ppp$ in South Africa peaked at 2,871 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1,721, in 2002.

South Africa ranks 54th of 102 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,965 1,965 1,965 1
2000s 1,884 1,721 2,162 10
2010s 2,587 2,355 2,871 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 51 Brazil 3,168 compare
  2. 52 Dominica 2,990 compare
  3. 53 Republic of Moldova 2,872 compare
  4. 55 Thailand 2,841 compare
  5. 56 Bhutan 2,835 compare
  6. 57 Jamaica 2,676 compare

See the full ranking of 102 places β†’

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is initial government funding per secondary student, constant ppp$ in South Africa?
Initial government funding per secondary student, constant ppp$ in South Africa was 2,871 in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest initial government funding per secondary student, constant ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2,871 in 2019.
What is the lowest initial government funding per secondary student, constant ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1,721 in 2002.
How does South Africa rank for initial government funding per secondary student, constant ppp$?
South Africa ranks 54th out of 102 countries with data for 2019.
Is initial government funding per secondary student, constant ppp$ rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 32.8%. 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 Initial government funding per secondary student, constant PPP$. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Initial government funding per secondary student, constant PPP$ in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/initial-government-funding-per-secondary-student-constant-ppp/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Initial government funding per secondary student, constant PPP$
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
102 places, 1,296 data points, 1971–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central, current and capital) initial government funding of education per student, which includes transfers paid (such as scholarships to students), but excludes transfers received, in this case international transfers to government for education (when foreign donors provide education sector budget support or other support integrated in the government budget). Calculation Method: Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure (current and capital) on a given level of education (primary, secondary, etc) minus international transfers to government for education, divided by the number of student enrolled at that level of education. This is then expressed at constant purchasing power parity (constant PPP$). Limitations: In some instances data on total government expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. There are also cases where it may not be possible to separate international transfers to government from general government expenditure on education, in which cases they have not been subtracted in the formula. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/