Urban population, above primary education in South Africa

South Africa: Urban population, above primary education was 0.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.8%
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
29th
of 99 countries
All-time high
0.8%
in 2008
All-time low
0.7%
in 2004
Years of data
19
1995–2020

Urban population, above primary education in South Africa, 1995–2020

00.20.40.60.81995200720201995: 0.67 % of population with high education2000: 0.699 % of population with high education2001: 0.688 % of population with high education2002: 0.684 % of population with high education2003: 0.661 % of population with high education2004: 0.656 % of population with high education2005: 0.716 % of population with high education2008: 0.835 % of population with high education2009: 0.828 % of population with high education2010: 0.822 % of population with high education2011: 0.824 % of population with high education2013: 0.825 % of population with high education2014: 0.825 % of population with high education2015: 0.797 % of population with high education2016: 0.789 % of population with high education2017: 0.795 % of population with high education2018: 0.794 % of population with high education2019: 0.791 % of population with high education2020: 0.775 % of population with high education

Source: World Bank. Measured in % of population with high education.

Analysis

In 2020, urban population, above primary education in South Africa stood at 0.8%.

The figure is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 5.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban population, above primary education in South Africa peaked at 0.8% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2004.

That places South Africa 29th out of 99 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Urban population, above primary education in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Urban population, above primary education (% of population with high education) in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year % of population with high education Change
1995 0.7%
2000 0.7% +4.4%
2001 0.7% -1.6%
2002 0.7% -0.6%
2003 0.7% -3.3%
2004 0.7% -0.9%
2005 0.7% +9.2%
2008 0.8% +16.6%
2009 0.8% -0.8%
2010 0.8% -0.7%
2011 0.8% +0.2%
2013 0.8% +0.2%
2014 0.8% -0.1%
2015 0.8% -3.4%
2016 0.8% -1.0%
2017 0.8% +0.7%
2018 0.8% -0.1%
2019 0.8% -0.4%
2020 0.8% -2.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
2000s 0.7% 0.7% 0.8% 8
2010s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 9
2020s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 26 Türkiye 0.8% compare
  2. 27 Cyprus 0.8% compare
  3. 28 El Salvador 0.8% compare
  4. 30 Dominican Republic 0.8% compare
  5. 31 Spain 0.8% compare
  6. 32 Russian Federation 0.8% compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban population, above primary education in South Africa?
Urban population, above primary education in South Africa was 0.8% in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest urban population, above primary education recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.8% in 2008.
What is the lowest urban population, above primary education recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2004.
How does South Africa rank for urban population, above primary education?
South Africa ranks 29th out of 99 countries with data for 2020.
Is urban population, above primary education rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Urban population, above primary education (% of population with high education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Urban population, above primary education in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/urban-population-above-primary-education-percent-of-population-with-high-education/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Urban population, above primary education (% of population with high education)
Unit
% of population with high education
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
99 places, 1,325 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed