Secondary education, teachers in South Africa

South Africa: Secondary education, teachers was 181,739 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
181,739
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
38th
of 201 countries
All-time high
192,359
in 2016
All-time low
113,215
in 1991
Years of data
20
1991–2023

Secondary education, teachers in South Africa, 1991–2023

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k1991200720231991: 113.2k1998: 143.8k1999: 144.9k2000: 147.6k2001: 155.0k2002: 146.6k2003: 149.0k2004: 149.4k2005: 141.6k2006: 158.5k2007: 165.0k2008: 168.6k2009: 187.2k2015: 190.0k2016: 192.4k2019: 191.5k2020: 187.9k2021: 179.5k2022: 182.1k2023: 181.7k

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

In 2023, secondary education, teachers in South Africa stood at 181,739.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, secondary education, teachers in South Africa peaked at 192,359 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 113,215, in 1991.

That places South Africa 38th out of 201 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 133,989 113,215 144,949 3
2000s 156,845 141,562 187,162 10
2010s 191,291 190,022 192,359 3
2020s 182,792 179,504 187,854 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 35 Malaysia 217,105 compare
  2. 36 Colombia 190,940 compare
  3. 37 Morocco 183,432 compare
  4. 39 Ghana 174,414 compare
  5. 40 Kenya 168,396 compare
  6. 41 Sri Lanka 155,543 compare

See the full ranking of 246 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is secondary education, teachers in South Africa?
Secondary education, teachers in South Africa was 181,739 in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest secondary education, teachers recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 192,359 in 2016.
What is the lowest secondary education, teachers recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 113,215 in 1991.
How does South Africa rank for secondary education, teachers?
South Africa ranks 38th out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
Is secondary education, teachers rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. 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, teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Secondary education, teachers
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
246 places, 7,677 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Secondary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at secondary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.