{
  "id": "matric-pass-rate",
  "title": "Matric pass rate",
  "description": "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%.",
  "unit": "%",
  "category": "education",
  "latest": {
    "value": 88,
    "display": "88.0%"
  },
  "source": {
    "publisher": "Department of Basic Education",
    "publication": "NSC Examination Results 2025",
    "url": "https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/class-2025-sets-new-national-record-historic-88-pass-rate",
    "releasedOn": "2026-01-12"
  },
  "checkedOn": "2026-10-19",
  "page": "https://sadatahub.tech/series/matric-pass-rate",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "citation": "Department of Basic Education (2026). NSC Examination Results 2025. Series \"Matric pass rate\" via SA Data Hub, https://sadatahub.tech/series/matric-pass-rate (checked 2026-10-19).",
  "points": [
    {
      "period": "2015",
      "value": 70.7
    },
    {
      "period": "2016",
      "value": 72.5
    },
    {
      "period": "2017",
      "value": 75.1
    },
    {
      "period": "2018",
      "value": 78.2
    },
    {
      "period": "2019",
      "value": 81.3
    },
    {
      "period": "2020",
      "value": 76.2
    },
    {
      "period": "2021",
      "value": 77.6
    },
    {
      "period": "2022",
      "value": 80.1
    },
    {
      "period": "2023",
      "value": 82.9
    },
    {
      "period": "2024",
      "value": 87.3
    },
    {
      "period": "2025",
      "value": 88
    }
  ],
  "revisions": [],
  "changeLog": [
    {
      "date": "2026-11-09",
      "type": "correction",
      "summary": "Retired the story \"Matric 2024: an 87.3% pass rate and persistent inequalities\". Its provincial pass rates and its claims about international reading tests could not be traced to a release SA Data Hub holds. Its address now redirects to \"Matric 2025: 88.0% passed, and 345 857 qualified for a degree\", where every figure cites the Department of Basic Education's 2025 NSC Examination Report with its table and page."
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-10-19",
      "type": "data-update",
      "summary": "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."
    },
    {
      "date": "2025-01-15",
      "type": "data-update",
      "summary": "NSC exam results and education indicators updated from latest DBE release."
    }
  ]
}