Data series, Education
Matric pass rate
88.0%2025. Up from 87.3% in 2024.
Series id matric-pass-rate. This page and its downloads keep the same address when new figures are added.
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 .
Show the numbers as a table
| 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% |
Every value
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 88.0% |
| 2024 | 87.3% |
| 2023 | 82.9% |
| 2022 | 80.1% |
| 2021 | 77.6% |
| 2020 | 76.2% |
| 2019 | 81.3% |
| 2018 | 78.2% |
| 2017 | 75.1% |
| 2016 | 72.5% |
| 2015 | 70.7% |
Changes to this series
No revisions by the publisher have been recorded for this series. SA Data Hub started recording them on 7 November 2026; earlier revisions are not listed.
SA Data Hub's update log for this dataset
, correction
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.
, data update
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.
, data update
NSC exam results and education indicators updated from latest DBE release.
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You may reuse this series under CC BY 4.0. Credit Department of Basic Education as the original source and SA Data Hub as the place you got it.
Cite this series
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).
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