Some 70.2 percent of matrics passed last year's exams - up from 67.8 percent in 2010, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced in Pretoria on Wednesday.
In 2009, 60.7 percent of matrics passed the 2009 exams, just under two percent down from 2008.
In 2008, 62.5 percent of matrics passed.
There were 496,090 full-time pupils whote wrote the 2011
National Senior Certificate - some 41,443 fewer than in 2011. There were about 80,000 part-time pupils who wrote the examinations.
Motshekga said that in 2011 there were no incidents, such as exam paper leaks, that had jeopardised the exams.
The Western Cape was the top province with a pass rate of 82.9
percent -up from 76.8 percent in 2010.
Gauteng was next with a pass rate of 81.1 percent followed by the Northwest Province with a 77.8 percent pass rate and the Free State with a 75.7 pass rate.
Motshekga was happy with the results, but said much still needed to be done to improve the maths pass rates. - Sapa