South Africa vs UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes
South Africa
61.9%
in 2024
UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean
85.2%
in 2024
South Africa rank
48th
UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean rank
45th
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes over time
- South Africa
- UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean
How they compare
UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean currently reports 85.2% against 61.9% in South Africa, a difference of 23.3%.
That makes UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean's figure about 1.4 times South Africa's.
Across all 13 years both countries report, UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 48th and UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean ranks 45th of 85 countries.
UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 57.0% | 57.0% | 0.1% | UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean |
| 1990s | 49.0% | 67.1% | 18.0% | UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean |
| 2000s | 62.1% | 74.7% | 12.6% | UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean |
| 2010s | 70.4% | 78.5% | 8.2% | UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean |
| 2020s | 60.5% | 84.3% | 23.8% | UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes, South Africa or UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean?
- UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean, at 85.2% against 61.9% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes between South Africa and UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean?
- 23.3%, with UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean rank globally for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 48th and UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean ranks 45th of 85 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ 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