Home → South Africa → Primary Completion Rate → 2021

South Africa - Primary Completion Rate 2021

Primary completion rate (% of relevant age group) · World Bank
95.22% +2.56pp from 2020 Global rank: 78th

South Africa's primary completion rate was 95.22% in 2021, increased +2.56pp from 92.66% in 2020. This was the 78th highest globally.

Global Ranking - 2021▾
Primary Completion Rate by Country - 2021
RankCountryValueYoY
1st Seychelles 156.17% 22.2%
2nd St. Kitts and Nevis 155.27% 38.7%
3rd Hong Kong SAR, China 119.09% 14.0%
4th Fiji 116.65% 13.1%
5th Belize 116.05% 10.7%
6th Turks and Caicos Islands 113.03% -26.5%
7th Tuvalu 112.38% 3.9%
8th Gibraltar 111.39% 2.1%
9th Bangladesh 109.87% 80.4%
10th Namibia 108.49% 11.0%
11th Marshall Islands 107.13% 4.6%
12th Moldova 106.40% 2.2%
13th Vanuatu 104.50% -1.2%
14th Portugal 104.30% 1.9%
15th Türkiye 103.44% 2.8%
16th Indonesia 103.37% 1.2%
17th Palau 103.32% 5.1%
18th Argentina 102.88% 3.0%
19th Mexico 102.82% 0.2%
20th Brunei Darussalam 102.27% -2.3%
21st Czechia 101.12% 4.6%
22nd United States 101.09% 0.2%
23rd Nepal 101.09% -14.7%
24th Kiribati 101.07% 3.9%
25th Thailand 101.05% 0.4%
26th Timor-Leste 101.05% 0.9%
27th Germany 100.97% 2.6%
28th Singapore 100.56% -0.8%
29th Uruguay 100.50% -0.4%
30th Turkmenistan 100.42% -
31st Lithuania 100.34% -7.2%
32nd Costa Rica 100.33% 1.7%
33rd Samoa 100.00% -2.8%
34th Cyprus 99.98% -0.4%
35th Sweden 99.82% 0.1%
36th Austria 99.82% 2.3%
37th Denmark 99.68% 0.0%
38th United Kingdom 99.56% 0.0%
39th India 99.41% 1.3%
40th Finland 99.28% 0.1%
41st Chile 99.22% 1.3%
42nd Montenegro 99.21% -2.4%
43rd Norway 99.20% 0.0%
44th Colombia 99.19% -0.4%
45th Spain 99.17% 3.3%
46th Tonga 99.06% -2.1%
47th Sierra Leone 98.96% 11.9%
48th Iceland 98.53% 0.1%
49th Uzbekistan 98.48% -0.3%
50th Malta 98.47% 0.7%
51st Korea 98.45% -2.7%
52nd Algeria 98.36% -2.3%
53rd Dominica 98.35% 5.0%
54th Ireland 98.35% -0.6%
55th Estonia 98.23% 2.5%
56th Morocco 98.14% 4.1%
57th Latvia 98.07% -0.3%
58th Serbia 98.07% 0.1%
59th Croatia 98.01% -2.5%
60th Italy 97.71% -1.0%
61st United Arab Emirates 97.43% -2.4%
62nd Cuba 97.41% 2.2%
63rd European Union 97.23% 0.8%
64th Albania 97.22% -2.1%
65th Slovenia 97.18% 0.4%
66th Jordan 96.96% -0.7%
67th Bosnia and Herzegovina 96.87% 0.9%
68th Sri Lanka 96.74% 3.4%
69th Saudi Arabia 96.64% -0.4%
70th Azerbaijan 96.56% -2.0%
71st Greece 96.34% -2.1%
72nd Aruba 95.78% -8.1%
73rd Macao SAR, China 95.78% 6.4%
74th Grenada 95.74% -17.5%
75th Switzerland 95.48% 1.3%
76th Rwanda 95.40% -0.6%
77th Panama 95.24% 8.9%
78th South Africa 95.22% 2.8%
79th Belarus 95.13% -2.5%
80th Barbados 94.97% 4.8%
81st Israel 94.71% -3.8%
82nd Hungary 94.30% 1.1%
83rd Bulgaria 94.26% -3.5%
84th Armenia 94.22% -0.2%
85th West Bank and Gaza 94.20% -4.1%
86th Mauritius 94.15% 1.6%
87th San Marino 94.04% -2.3%
88th Cabo Verde 93.95% 0.5%
89th Ecuador 93.94% -1.5%
90th Kazakhstan 93.65% -4.3%
91st Tunisia 93.63% -2.3%
92nd Cayman Islands 93.59% 9.7%
93rd Kyrgyz Republic 92.91% -5.9%
94th Egypt, Arab Republic of 92.43% 0.7%
95th Slovak Republic 92.15% -4.8%
96th North Macedonia 91.63% 1.4%
97th Qatar 91.18% -11.6%
98th Bhutan 90.88% 9.9%
99th Malaysia 90.70% -3.6%
100th Cambodia 90.23% 1.0%
101st Lao PDR 89.70% -1.2%
102nd Ukraine 89.29% -0.5%
103rd Philippines 89.08% -6.7%
104th Liechtenstein 88.94% -14.8%
105th Romania 88.93% 2.6%
106th Oman 88.51% -3.9%
107th Guatemala 88.10% 8.7%
108th Georgia 87.81% -7.2%
109th Dominican Republic 87.73% -9.6%
110th Malawi 86.04% 12.4%
111th Togo 85.54% 1.2%
112th Micronesia, Federated States of 85.18% 8.4%
113th El Salvador 83.76% 1.6%
114th Mongolia 83.68% -12.1%
115th Zimbabwe 83.03% -6.0%
116th Papua New Guinea 81.00% 9.3%
117th Congo, Democratic Republic of 80.94% 5.3%
118th Kuwait 80.43% -3.5%
119th Gambia, The 79.47% 4.2%
120th Lesotho 78.70% 6.7%
121st Luxembourg 76.81% -0.6%
122nd Suriname 75.24% -12.9%
123rd Tanzania 74.43% 8.7%
124th Comoros 73.95% -8.8%
125th Honduras 71.26% -6.7%
126th Cameroon 69.47% 5.2%
127th Côte d'Ivoire 69.13% -2.6%
128th Benin 67.77% 17.8%
129th Lebanon 67.26% -0.5%
130th Pakistan 64.42% 8.2%
131st Burkina Faso 63.74% 3.0%
132nd Senegal 63.10% 4.6%
133rd Andorra 62.59% -0.1%
134th Madagascar 61.08% 6.7%
135th Angola 60.03% 20.2%
136th Liberia 58.48% 2.3%
137th Niger 57.93% -6.2%
138th Syrian Arab Republic 56.28% -1.0%
139th Chad 41.85% 7.9%
Source: World Bank (SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS)

FAQ

What was South Africa's primary completion rate in 2021?▾

South Africa's primary completion rate in 2021 was 95.22%. This ranked 78th globally.

How did South Africa's primary completion rate change in 2021?▾

South Africa's primary completion rate increased by 2.8% in 2021 compared to 2020.

Which country had the highest primary completion rate in 2021?▾

Seychelles had the highest primary completion rate in 2021 at 156.17%.

What is the primary completion rate of South Africa in 2021?▾

The primary completion rate of South Africa in 2021 was 95.22%. This ranked 78th globally.

How does 2021 compare to 2020 for South Africa's primary completion rate?▾

South Africa's primary completion rate went from 92.66% in 2020 to 95.22% in 2021, a 2.8% increase.

← 2020
View all years
2022 →
Related
2020 2022 All years Full ranking 2021 Literacy Rate Tertiary Enrollment Education Spending Primary Enrollment Secondary Enrollment Peak: 2025 Lowest: 1999 Primary Completion Rate 1990s Primary Completion Rate 2000s Primary Completion Rate 2010s Primary Completion Rate 2020s Highest ever Lowest ever Average vs Paraguay vs Fiji vs Suriname vs Guatemala G20 Primary Completion Rate BRICS+ Primary Completion Rate African Union Primary Completion Rate Global Ranking