South Africa: Secondary education, teachers

Key figures

Since 1991 it is up 60.53% from 113,215 in 1991 (1.49% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 13 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, teachers fell 0.2% on 2022 (from 182,070 to 181,739).

Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was +1.6% and a typical year strayed about 5.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below 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 12% in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.4% in 2002. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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 8th highest value of the 39 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 2023 ranking

• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 5th of 39: 621,578
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 6th of 39: 406,399
• United Kingdom — 7th of 39: 388,714
• Kenya — 9th of 39: 168,396
• Sri Lanka — 10th of 39: 155,543
• Belgium — 11th of 39: 137,795

What this measures

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

Limitations: The precision of this indicator can be influenced by the enumeration method used, such as headcount or 'full-time equivalent' count of teachers.

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

All 20 values

Secondary education, teachers in nearby economies

• Angola — 91,250 (2023)
• Benin — 57,296 (2022)
• Botswana — 15,284 (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 68,557 (2024)
• Burundi — 27,748 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 3,534 (2022)
• Cameroon — 118,092 (2023)
• Central African Republic — 4,357 (2017)
• Chad — 23,874 (2024)
• Comoros — 7,728 (2022)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 621,578 (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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is South Africa's secondary education, teachers?

181,739 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1991?

It is up 60.53% from 113,215 in 1991 (1.49% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 192,359 in 2016 and the lowest 113,215 in 1991.

How does South Africa rank?

8th highest of 39 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in secondary education, teachers unusual for South Africa?

In 2023, South Africa's secondary education, teachers fell 0.2% on 2022 (from 182,070 to 181,739). Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was +1.6% and a typical year strayed about 5.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below 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.TCHR, 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.