Secondary education, pupils in South Africa
South Africa: Secondary education, pupils was 5.50 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Secondary education, pupils in South Africa, 1989–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
South Africa recorded 5.50 million for secondary education, pupils in 2023. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, secondary education, pupils in South Africa peaked at 5.50 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.55 million, in 1989.
That places South Africa 23rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.55 million | 2.55 million | 2.55 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 3.55 million | 2.74 million | 4.24 million | 5 |
| 2000s | 4.54 million | 4.14 million | 4.82 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.96 million | 4.69 million | 5.28 million | 9 |
| 2020s | 5.33 million | 5.10 million | 5.50 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 101.8% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 287,310 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female 99.2% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male 104.3% (2023)
- Labor force, female 46.6% (2025)
- Labor force, total 26.73 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is secondary education, pupils in South Africa?
- Secondary education, pupils in South Africa was 5.50 million in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest secondary education, pupils recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.50 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest secondary education, pupils recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.55 million in 1989.
- How does South Africa rank for secondary education, pupils?
- South Africa ranks 23rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is secondary education, pupils rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Secondary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.