South Africa: School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, South Africa's school enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) rose 0.03 on 2019 (from 1.06 to 1.09).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was −0.0019 and a typical year strayed about 0.04 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.11 in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.11 in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 5% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2020, South Africa had the 10th highest value of the 65 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to South Africa in the 2020 ranking

• Mexico — 7th of 65: 1.1
• Finland — 8th of 65: 1.1
• Timor-Leste — 9th of 65: 1.09
• Costa Rica — 11th of 65: 1.09
• Sweden — 12th of 65: 1.08
• Mauritania — 13th of 65: 1.07

What this measures

Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in secondary education is the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 27 values

School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in nearby economies

• Angola — 0.64 (2016)
• Benin — 0.83 (2021)
• Botswana — 1.11 (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 1.11 (2021)
• Burundi — 1.21 (2020)
• Cabo Verde — 1.09 (2019)
• Cameroon — 1.1 (2021)
• Central African Republic — 0.67 (2017)
• Chad — 0.58 (2021)

More education data for South Africa

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 14 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 7.52 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 101.77% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 99.21% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 104.32% (2023)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) — 19.14% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is South Africa's school enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)?

1.09 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1989?

It is down 5.28% from 1.15 in 1989 (0.17% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.19 in 1991 and the lowest 0.99 in 2015.

How does South Africa rank?

10th highest of 65 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in school enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) unusual for South Africa?

In 2020, South Africa's school enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) rose 0.03 on 2019 (from 1.06 to 1.09). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was −0.0019 and a typical year strayed about 0.04 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.ENR.SECO.FM.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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