South Africa's secondary education, pupils was 5.5 million in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 12.73% from 4.88 million in 2018 (2.43% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 5.5 million | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 4.88 million | 2018 |
| Highest | 5.5 million | 2023 |
| Lowest | 2.55 million | 1989 |
| Average since 2014 | 5.17 million | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 2.55 million | 1989 |
Over five years it is up 12.73% from 4.88 million in 2018 (2.43% a year on average, compounded). Since 1989 it is up 115.52% from 2.55 million in 1989 (2.28% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 6 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.
What the numbers say
In 2023, South Africa's secondary education, pupils rose 2.2% on 2022 (from 5.38 million to 5.5 million).
Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2022), the average change was +1.3% and a typical year strayed about 2.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 7.4% in 1990 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.5% in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 24% 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 2023, South Africa had the 10th highest value of the 51 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 5.5 million | 2023 |
| World | 651.68 million | 2024 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 81.43 million | 2024 |
| Upper middle income | 233.28 million | 2024 |
Closest to South Africa in the 2023 ranking
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — 7th of 51: 6.62 million
- Japan — 8th of 51: 6.61 million
- United Kingdom — 9th of 51: 6.4 million
- Italy — 11th of 51: 4.61 million
- Argentina — 12th of 51: 4.56 million
- Afghanistan — 13th of 51: 3.43 million
What this measures
Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 29 values
| Year | Secondary education, pupils |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 5,500,042 |
| 2022 | 5,380,515 |
| 2021 | 5,353,649 |
| 2020 | 5,100,811 |
| 2019 | 5,036,694 |
| 2018 | 4,878,960 |
| 2017 | 4,936,267 |
| 2016 | 5,041,862 |
| 2015 | 5,279,196 |
| 2014 | 5,220,975 |
| 2013 |
Secondary education, pupils in nearby economies
- Angola — 2.59 million (2023)
- Benin — 929,099 (2022)
- Botswana — 175,513 (2021)
- Burkina Faso — 1.19 million (2024)
- Burundi — 590,027 (2025)
- Cabo Verde — 55,831 (2022)
- Cameroon — 2.01 million (2023)
- Central African Republic — 137,844 (2017)
- Chad — 764,990 (2024)
- Comoros — 67,764 (2022)
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — 7.93 million (2023)
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
Questions people ask
- What is South Africa's secondary education, pupils?
- 5.5 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1989?
- It is up 115.52% from 2.55 million in 1989 (2.28% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 5.5 million in 2023 and the lowest 2.55 million in 1989.
- How does South Africa rank?
- 10th highest of 51 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in secondary education, pupils unusual for South Africa?
- In 2023, South Africa's secondary education, pupils rose 2.2% on 2022 (from 5.38 million to 5.5 million). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2022), the average change was +1.3% and a typical year strayed about 2.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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.SEC.ENRL, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. 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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