Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa

South Africa: Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in was 87.8% in 2018. ▬ Flat

Latest (2018)
87.8%
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
80th
of 179 countries
All-time high
93.1%
in 1998
All-time low
87.8%
in 2018
Years of data
19
1998–2018

Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa, 1998–2018

0204060801001998200820181998: 93.1 %1999: 93 %2000: 91.1 %2001: 90.2 %2002: 89.5 %2003: 89.9 %2004: 89.7 %2005: 91.5 %2006: 91.2 %2007: 90.9 %2008: 90.6 %2009: 90.3 %2010: 91.9 %2011: 91.8 %2012: 91.1 %2015: 88.5 %2016: 87.9 %2017: 88.4 %2018: 87.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa is 87.8%, measured in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa peaked at 93.1% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 87.8%, in 2018.

That places South Africa 80th out of 179 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%) in South Africa, 1998 to 2018.
Year % Change
1998 93.1%
1999 93.0% -0.1%
2000 91.1% -2.1%
2001 90.2% -0.9%
2002 89.5% -0.9%
2003 89.9% +0.5%
2004 89.7% -0.2%
2005 91.5% +2.1%
2006 91.2% -0.3%
2007 90.9% -0.3%
2008 90.6% -0.3%
2009 90.3% -0.3%
2010 91.9% +1.7%
2011 91.8% -0.1%
2012 91.1% -0.7%
2015 88.5% -2.9%
2016 87.9% -0.7%
2017 88.4% +0.6%
2018 87.8% -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 93.0% 93.0% 93.1% 2
2000s 90.5% 89.5% 91.5% 10
2010s 89.6% 87.8% 91.9% 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 77 Cote d'Ivoire 89.1% compare
  2. 78 Georgia 88.8% compare
  3. 79 Mauritius 88.8% compare
  4. 81 Tonga 86.4% compare
  5. 82 Bahrain 86.1% compare
  6. 83 Venezuela 85.0% compare

See the full ranking of 224 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa?
Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa was 87.8% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 93.1% in 1998.
What is the lowest share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 87.8% in 2018.
How does South Africa rank for share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in?
South Africa ranks 80th out of 179 countries with data for 2018.
Is share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-all-students-in-upper-secondary-education-enrolled-in-general-programmes-percent/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
224 places, 3,926 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in general programmes at the upper secondary education level, expressed as a percentage of the total number of students enrolled in all programmes (vocational and general) at the upper secondary level. General education is designed to develop learners’ general knowledge, skills and competencies and literacy and numeracy skills, often to prepare students for more advanced educational programmes at the same or higher ISCED levels and to lay the foundation for lifelong learning. General educational programmes are typically school- or college-based. General education includes educational programmes that are designed to prepare students for entry into vocational education, but that do not prepare for employment in a particular occupation or trade or class of occupations or trades, nor lead directly to a labour market relevant qualification.