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South Africa
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Data profiles:


South Africa
Overview of the education system (EAG 2024)
| Education at a Glance 2024 | Annexes from Education at a Glance 2024 | OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics 2018 | Department of Basic Education | Department of Higher Education and Training | Statistics South Africa |
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The following list displays indicators for which your selected country shows the highest and lowest values among countries. The list can be sorted by level of education or by age group. All rankings are calculated including available data from OECD and partner countries. Find out more about the methodology here.

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Expenditure per student

In South Africa, public expenditure from initial source of funds on primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education per student is relatively low. (3021 USD Equivalent, rank 38/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

Expenditure in education and national wealth

In South Africa, public expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP on primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education from final source of funds is relatively high. (4.4 %, rank 3/41 , 2021) Download Indicator

In South Africa, public expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP on primary to tertiary education from final source of funds is relatively high. (5 %, rank 8/41 , 2021) Download Indicator

Government and private expenditure in education

The share of public expenditure on tertiary educational institutions is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (3.5 %, rank 9/43 , 2021) Download Indicator

In South Africa, total public expenditure on primary through tertiary educational institutions as a percentage of total public expenditure is comparatively high. (17.3 %, rank 1/42 , 2021) Download Indicator

In South Africa, total public expenditure on primary educational institutions as a percentage of total public expenditure is comparatively high. (7.4 %, rank 1/43 , 2021) Download Indicator

In South Africa, total public expenditure on secondary educational institutions as a percentage of total public expenditure is comparatively high. (3.7 %, rank 2/42 , 2021) Download Indicator

In South Africa, total public expenditure on post-secondary non-tertiary educational institutions as a percentage of total public expenditure is comparatively high. (0.4 %, rank 2/22 , 2021) Download Indicator

Neither in education nor employed

The share of inactive youth neither in formal education nor training among 18-24 year-olds in South Africa is one of the highest among countries with available data. (27 %, rank 1/42 , 2023) Download Indicator

The share of unemployed youth neither in formal education nor training among 18-24 year-olds in South Africa is one of the highest among countries with available data. (21.8 %, rank 1/42 , 2023) Download Indicator

The share of women without an upper secondary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high (76.4 %, rank 3/39 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of men without an upper secondary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high (59.2 %, rank 2/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of 25-29 year-olds neither in employment nor in education and training without an upper secondary in South Africa is relatively high. (67.1 %, rank 1/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of women with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (54.1 %, rank 2/41 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of men with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (49.8 %, rank 1/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of 25-29 year-olds neither in employment nor in education and training with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa is relatively high. (52 %, rank 1/41 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of women with tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (37 %, rank 1/41 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of men with tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (34.9 %, rank 1/33 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of 25-29 year-olds neither in employment nor in education and training with tertiary education in South Africa is relatively high. (36.1 %, rank 1/41 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of women who are inactive NEET (15-29 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (24.7 %, rank 3/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of women who are unemployed NEET (15-29 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (19.5 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of women who are inactive NEET (18-24 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (30.3 %, rank 2/41 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of women who are unemployed NEET (18-24 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (20.8 %, rank 1/39 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of men who are inactive NEET (15-29 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (18.9 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of men who are unemployed NEET (15-29 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (21.1 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of men who are inactive NEET (18-24 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (23.6 %, rank 1/41 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of men who are unemployed NEET (18-24 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (22.9 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of inactive NEET (15-29 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (21.8 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of unemployed NEET (15-29 year-olds) in South Africa is relatively high. (20.3 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

The share of youth neither employed nor in education or training among 25-29 year-olds in South Africa is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (55.8 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

In South Africa, the share of men neither employed nor in education among 15-29 year-olds is relatively high. (40 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

In South Africa, the share of women neither employed nor in education among 15-29 year-olds is relatively high. (44.2 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

Among 15-29 year-olds, the share of youth without an upper secondary or post-secondary non tertiary degree who are neither employed nor in education or training in South Africa is relatively high. (52.4 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

In South Africa, the proportion of youth with a tertiary degree who are neither employed nor in education or training among 15-29 year-olds is comparatively large. (36.2 %, rank 1/41 , 2022) Download Indicator

In South Africa, the proportion of young men who are neither employed nor in education or training among 15-19 year-olds is comparatively large. (14.2 %, rank 4/41 , 2022) Download Indicator

Among 20-24 year-old men in South Africa, a large share of them are neither employed nor in education or training. (53 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

Among 25-29 year-old men in South Africa, a large share of them are neither employed nor in education or training. (51.9 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

In South Africa, the percentage of women neither employed nor in education or training among 20-24 year-olds is relatively high . (56.2 %, rank 1/42 , 2022) Download Indicator


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General findings

                        

                            

                                
  • Educational and labour-market outcomes for young adults at risk of falling behind have improved. Since 2016, the share of 18-24 year-olds not in employment, education or training has fallen from 16% to 14% on average across the OECD. At the same time, the share of 25-34 year-olds without an upper secondary qualification has decreased from 17% to 14%.

  • Job opportunities have also improved: the employment rate among 25-34 year-olds without an upper secondary qualification has risen from 59% to 61%, and for those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment, it has increased from 76% to 79%.

  • Educational outcomes are transmitted across generations. Inequalities start early and persist through all stages of the education system. In countries with available data, children from low-income families are on average 18 percentage points less likely to be enrolled in early childhood education and care before the age of 3.

  • Students who start an upper secondary programme are 19 percentage points less likely to successfully complete their studies if their parents have not attained upper secondary education than their peers with parents who have a tertiary qualification, and this gap is 13 percentage points for those starting a bachelor’s programmes.

  • These disadvantages result in very different levels of educational attainment. While 72% of adults who have at least one parent with a tertiary qualification have also obtained a tertiary qualification, only 19% of those whose parents have not completed upper secondary education have tertiary attainment.

  • Public expenditure on early childhood education measured as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 9% between 2015 and 2021, significantly more than for other levels of education. Enrolment rates in early childhood education have also continued to rise across all age groups. On average across the OECD, 83% of children aged 3-5 are enrolled in pre-primary education, up from 79% in 2013.

                            

                            

                                | Equity in education and on the labour market | Education policies: Equity | Education policies: Gender | Education policies: Socio-economic status | Education policies: Migrant background | 

                            

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  • 	In almost all countries with available data, the share of younger adults (25-34 year-olds) without an upper secondary qualification has fallen since 2016 and for Costa Rica, Mexico, Portugal and Türkiye these declines have been in double digits in percentage-point terms. This means many more younger adults will have the opportunity to succeed in the labour market.

  • 	On average across OECD countries, the share of women with at least a bachelor's or equivalent degree has almost doubled in a generation: going from 24% among 55-64 year-olds to 47% among 25-34 year-olds, reflecting a substantial increase in educational attainment.

  • 	In most OECD countries, the share of 18-24 year-olds who are neither employed nor in formal education or training (NEET) has decreased between 2016 and 2023. Costa Rica and Lithuania are exceptions, having experienced a rise above 3 percentage points in the share over this period.

  • 	Employment rates for younger adults (25-34 year-olds) slightly improved in most countries between 2016 and 2023, irrespective of their educational attainment level. However, the gap in employment rates between younger adults with below upper secondary attainment and those with tertiary attainment has widened in more than half of OECD, partner and/or accession countries with comparable data for both years.

  • 	In OECD countries, workers who have not attained upper secondary education earn, on average, 18% less than those who have attained this level of education. Meanwhile, workers with a tertiary education earn, on average, 56% more than those with only an upper secondary education.

                            

                            

                                | Education policies: Attainment | Education policies: Labour market outcomes | 

                            

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  • 	Most children aged 3 to 5 (84%) attend early childhood education (ECE) programmes across the OECD, yet only 32% of those aged 0 to 2 are enrolled in early childhood educational development programmes (ISCED 01) on average. Younger children from low-income families are least likely to attend these programmes, despite being likely to benefit the most.

  • 	Since 2013, 12 countries have extended the length of compulsory education at either pre-primary or upper secondary level. As enrolment rates in the years before and after compulsory education are already generally high, these measures often aim to increase enrolment among disadvantaged groups, where rates are lower.

  • 	The vast majority of primary students are enrolled in public institutions, averaging 85% across OECD countries. In some countries, government-dependent private institutions are prevalent, which often function in similar ways to public institutions.

  • 	Gender disparities at the upper secondary level affect students’ pathways in the labour market and higher education. On average, 51% of graduates from upper secondary general programmes are female, but in vocational programmes female only make up 46% of graduates.

  • 	Family background strongly influences success in upper secondary education. In all countries with available data, students whose parents have lower educational attainment have substantially lower completion rates than students with a tertiary-educated parent. Completion rates for students with immigrant backgrounds are also lower than for non-immigrant students.

  • 	On average, women are over-represented in tertiary education, but they remain under-represented in some fields. Only 15% of female new entrants at tertiary level choose a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) field, compared to 41% of male new entrants. In contrast, only 4% of male entrants opted for the field of education and 8% for health and welfare, shares which have not changed since 2015.

                            

                            

                                | Education policies: Access and Participation  | 

                            

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  • 	Expenditure per student increases with the educational level in nearly all OECD countries, although by how much varies substantially among countries. On average, expenditure per student amounts to about USD 11 900 at primary level, USD 13 300 at secondary level and USD 20 500 at tertiary level.

  • 	OECD countries spend, on average, the equivalent of 4.9% of their gross domestic product (GDP) (over USD 3.5 trillion in total) on educational institutions from primary to tertiary levels (including tertiary research and development). Iceland, Israel, Norway and the United Kingdom invest over 6% of their national output into education.

  • 	Private sources play a much more important role in funding tertiary education, relative to government sources, than at lower levels. On average, private sources of funding amount to 0.3% of GDP for primary to post-secondary non-tertiary institutions, with a similar percentage for tertiary institutions. In contrast, government funding amounts to 3.2% of GDP for primary to post-secondary non-tertiary institutions, well above the 1.0% of GDP that governments spend on tertiary institutions.

  • 	On average, across OECD countries, the government is the primary source of funding for both public and private primary schools. For public institutions, the government covers nearly all expenditure, amounting to about USD 11 900 per student, while it accounts for less than 60% of the costs for private ones, roughly USD 7 900 per student, on average. However, these figure vary considerably across countries. 

  • 	Tuition fees for bachelor's degrees vary considerably from country to country. In one-third of the countries and other participants with data, public institutions either offer tuition-free education to national students or charge less than USD 1 100 per year in fees. In another third of countries, annual tuition fees are relatively modest, averaging between USD 1 400 and USD 3 100 per student. In the remaining countries, fees are considerably higher, exceeding USD 4 500 per year.

                            

                            

                                | Education policies: Finance and Funding | 

                            

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  • 	Between 2013 and 2022, the ratio of children to teaching staff at pre-primary level fell across most countries, from 16:1 to 15:1 on average in OECD countries, due to fewer enrolled children and more teachers. In some countries, however, the ratio has increased due to rising child enrolment and teacher shortages.

  • 	In most OECD countries, the salaries of teachers increase with the level of education they teach. On average across OECD countries and other participants, the salaries of teachers with the most prevalent qualifications with 15 years of experience range from USD 52 631 at pre-primary level to USD 60 803 at upper secondary level.

  • 	Between 2015 and 2023, the statutory salaries of teachers at primary and secondary levels increased by 28-29% in nominal terms on average across OECD countries. When adjusted for changes in prices, the rise in real salaries was much smaller, at 4-5%.

  • 	Based on official regulations or agreements, teachers in public schools in OECD countries and other participants are required to teach on average 1 007 hours per year at pre-primary level, 773 hours at primary level, 706 hours at lower secondary level (general programmes) and 679 hours at upper secondary level (general programmes). 

  • 	Of the 21 countries with available data, 18 reported that they faced teacher shortages at the start of the 2022/23 academic year, with only Greece, Korea and Türkiye not reporting any shortages.

  • 	The ageing of the teaching workforce is more pronounced in secondary schools than in primary education. On average across OECD countries, the share of older teachers (aged 50 and over) increases with the education level: from 34% in primary education to 36% in lower secondary and 41% in upper secondary education.

                            

                            

                                | Education policies: Teachers | Education policies: Teachers | OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)  | 

                            

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				Key
            

            Diagram of funding flows - South Africa
            

            

        



        
		

            

			Click on the coverpage to see the full OECD iLibrary version
			

				Key
            

            Country Reviews for South Africa
            

            

			

        

		
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
        

            Note: These values should be interpreted with care since they are influenced
            by countries' specific contexts and trade-offs. In education, there is often no simple
            most- or least-efficient model. For instance, the share of private expenditure in
            education must be read against other measures designed to mitigate inequities, 
			such as loans and grants; longer learning time is an opportunity to convey
            more and better content to students, but may hinder investments in other important
            areas. If you want further information on the nature of different variables, please
            take the time to read the analysis and contextual information, available at the website
            for each publication.

            All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. 
            The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: http://www.oecd.org/about/membersandpartners/
            


			Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some 
			countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2018 for school year 2017/2018.  
			


	    *TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. 
		This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages.
		Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and 
		Annex 3 
		of EAG 2021 for more details about the data collections.
            


			B-S-J-Z (China) refers to the four PISA-participating provinces/municipalities of the People's Republic of China:
Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
			


            For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.