Johannesburg - A total of 73.9 percent of matric pupils passed in 2012, said Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Wednesday.
This is an improvement on the 70.2 percent pass rate in 2011.
Gauteng had the highest pass rate at 83.9 percent.
Eastern Cape was at 61.6 percent, Limpopo 66.9 percent, Mpumalanga 70 percent, KwaZulu-Natal 73.1 percent, Northern Cape 74.6 percent, Free State 81.1 percent, and North West had a 79.5 percent pass rate.
There was a slight decline in the Western Cape - from 2011's 82.9 percent to 82.8 percent in 2012. - Sapa