What the 87.3% counts
The 2024 National Senior Certificate pass rate was 87.3%. More than one million candidates wrote the exams, and 47.8% achieved a bachelor's degree pass — meaning they qualified for university entrance.
That is genuine progress. The sustained upward trend since 2015, with the exception of the COVID-disrupted 2020 cohort, reflects real improvements in teaching quality, curriculum support, and school management in many parts of the country.
“An 87.3% pass rate. What counts as a "pass" matters.”
88.0%
Matric pass rate
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%.
DBE · Updated 12 January 2026
What "passing" actually means
The National Senior Certificate requires a minimum of 30% in three subjects and 40% in three others. This is a relatively low bar. Critics have long argued that the matric pass rate gives an overly optimistic picture of educational achievement.
International assessments tell a more sobering story. South Africa consistently performs poorly in PIRLS (reading literacy) and TIMSS (mathematics and science) assessments. In the 2021 PIRLS study, 81% of South African Grade 4 learners could not read for meaning in any language — the worst result among all 57 participating countries.
The matric pass rate and actual literacy and numeracy skills are not the same thing.
“In 2021, 81% of SA Grade 4 learners could not read for meaning — the worst result globally.”
Provincial and school-type disparities
The Western Cape (89.1%) and Free State (88.4%) consistently lead provincial pass rates. The Eastern Cape (79.8%) and KwaZulu-Natal (81.4%) lag behind.
The gap between fee-paying independent schools and no-fee public schools is stark. Independent schools achieve pass rates above 98% with high bachelor's pass rates. Many quintile 1 and 2 schools (the poorest) struggle to achieve 70%.
These disparities reflect decades of unequal investment in school infrastructure, teacher quality, and learning materials. Closing them requires sustained, targeted investment — not just in examinations, but in the foundation phases of schooling.
87.0%
Adult literacy rate, ages 20 and older
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.
Stats SA · Updated 10 October 2023