Topic
Education
The matric pass rate, adult literacy and enrolment at public universities.
Matric pass rate
88.0%
2025. Up from 87.3% in 2024.
The national senior certificate (matric) pass rate for the 2025 academic year was 88%, the highest on record and about 0.7 percentage points above 2024 (87.3%). Over 656,000 candidates passed; more than 900,000 full-time and part-time candidates wrote, the largest cohort ever. Bachelor's passes (university entrance) were 46% of passes, down from 48% in 2024, although a record 345,000+ candidates qualified for degree study. All nine provinces were above 80%; KwaZulu-Natal was highest at 90.6%.
Source: Department of Basic Education, NSC Examination Results 2025. Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub .
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| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 70.7% |
| 2016 | 72.5% |
| 2017 | 75.1% |
| 2018 | 78.2% |
| 2019 | 81.3% |
| 2020 | 76.2% |
| 2021 | 77.6% |
| 2022 | 80.1% |
| 2023 | 82.9% |
| 2024 | 87.3% |
| 2025 | 88.0% |
Adult literacy rate, ages 20 and older
87.0%
Proportion of adults aged 20 and older who can read and write, as recorded in the 2022 National Census. This represents significant improvement from 85.0% in 2011. The next census is expected in 2032.
Source: Statistics South Africa, Census 2022 Statistical Release. Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub . Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.
Enrolment at public universities
1.1 million students2023. Up from 1.0 million in 2022.
Total headcount enrolments at public universities for the 2023 academic year, across 26 public higher education institutions. This excludes TVET colleges and private higher education institutions.
Source: Department of Higher Education and Training, Statistics on Post-School Education and Training 2023. Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub .
Show the numbers as a table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 1.0 million |
| 2019 | 1.0 million |
| 2020 | 1.0 million |
| 2021 | 1.1 million |
| 2022 | 1.0 million |
| 2023 | 1.1 million |
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Education: Update expected soon
DBE, NSC Examination Results. Updated annual. Last updated . Source (opens in a new tab)
- : Matric pass rate updated to 2025 (88%, DBE announcement 2026-01-12). One-decimal figure (88.0) is inferred; denominator not verified from the DBE NSC report (D3b). Literacy and university enrolment unchanged.
- : NSC exam results and education indicators updated from latest DBE release.