South Africa vs WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female
South Africa
90.8%
in 2024
WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)
94.9%
in 2024
South Africa rank
46th
WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) rank
47th
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female over time
- South Africa
- WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)
How they compare
WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) currently reports 94.9% against 90.8% in South Africa, a difference of 4.1%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 13 shared years of data; in 1980 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 46th and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) ranks 47th of 89 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 3 and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 74.8% | 60.0% | 14.9% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 80.9% | 78.5% | 2.4% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 89.4% | 90.8% | 1.4% | WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) |
| 2010s | 92.8% | 92.7% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 90.1% | 94.6% | 4.5% | 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, female, South Africa or WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)?
- WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025), at 94.9% against 90.8% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female between South Africa and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)?
- 4.1%, 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, female?
- South Africa ranks 46th and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) ranks 47th of 89 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release