Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa

South Africa: Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes was 79.4% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
79.4%
Change on year
down 4.6%
World rank
79th
of 147 countries
All-time high
87.5%
in 2015
All-time low
68.4%
in 2001
Years of data
11
1994–2018

Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa, 1994–2018

0204060801994200620181994: 77.7 %1999: 69.8 %2000: 69.4 %2001: 68.4 %2002: 72.7 %2003: 73.4 %2004: 72.9 %2005: 73.2 %2015: 87.5 %2017: 83.2 %2018: 79.4 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa stood at 79.4%.

The figure is down 4.6% on the previous year and up 8.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 87.5% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 68.4%, in 2001.

South Africa ranks 79th of 147 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.

Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes (%) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year % Change
1994 77.7%
1999 69.8% -10.1%
2000 69.4% -0.7%
2001 68.4% -1.4%
2002 72.7% +6.2%
2003 73.4% +1.0%
2004 72.9% -0.7%
2005 73.2% +0.5%
2015 87.5% +19.5%
2017 83.2% -4.9%
2018 79.4% -4.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 73.8% 69.8% 77.7% 2
2000s 71.7% 68.4% 73.4% 6
2010s 83.4% 79.4% 87.5% 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 76 Ecuador 80.3% compare
  2. 77 Romania 80.1% compare
  3. 78 Philippines 79.5% compare
  4. 80 Saint Lucia 79.3% compare
  5. 81 Thailand 79.1% compare
  6. 82 Mauritius 79.0% compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa?
Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa was 79.4% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 87.5% in 2015.
What is the lowest total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 68.4% in 2001.
How does South Africa rank for total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes?
South Africa ranks 79th out of 147 countries with data for 2018.
Is total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. 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 Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/total-net-enrolment-rate-upper-secondary-both-sexes-percent/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/total-net-enrolment-rate-upper-secondary-both-sexes-percent/south-africa/">Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Total net enrolment rate, upper secondary, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
192 places, 3,242 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of students of the official age group for upper secondary education who are enrolled in any level of education, expressed as a percentage of the corresponding population. Divide the total number of students in the official school age range for upper secondary education who are enrolled in any level of education by the population of the same age group and multiply the result by 100. The difference between the total NER and the adjusted NER provides a measure of the proportion of children in the official relevant school age group who are enrolled in levels of education below the one intended for their age. The difference between the total NER and the adjusted NER for upper secondary education is due to enrolment in pre-primary or primary education. The total NER should be based on total enrolment of the official relevant school age group in any level of education for all types of schools and education institutions, including public, private and all other institutions that provide organized educational programmes. For more information, consult the UIS website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/