South Africa vs WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes
South Africa
91.2%
in 2024
WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)
96.2%
in 2024
South Africa rank
45th
WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) rank
46th
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes over time
- South Africa
- WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)
How they compare
WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) currently reports 96.2% against 91.2% in South Africa, a difference of 5.0%.
That makes WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)'s figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 13 shared years of data; in 1980 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 45th and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) ranks 46th of 89 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 1 and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 76.2% | 70.1% | 6.1% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 82.4% | 84.3% | 1.9% | WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) |
| 2000s | 90.8% | 93.3% | 2.4% | WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) |
| 2010s | 93.6% | 94.6% | 1.1% | WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) |
| 2020s | 90.6% | 96.0% | 5.4% | WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes, South Africa or WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)?
- WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025), at 96.2% against 91.2% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes between South Africa and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)?
- 5.0%, with WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) rank globally for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 45th and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) ranks 46th of 89 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release