Malaysia vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Literacy rate, adult male

Malaysia
96.8%
in 2022
Sub-Saharan Africa
74.9%
in 2024
Malaysia rank
33rd
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
32nd

Literacy rate, adult male over time

  • Malaysia
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
020406080100198020022024

How they compare

Malaysia currently reports 96.8% against 74.9% in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 21.9%.

That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.3 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.

Across all 8 years both countries report, Malaysia has been ahead every year.

Malaysia ranks 33rd and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 32nd of 88 countries.

Malaysia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malaysia Sub-Saharan Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 88.6% 63.4% 25.1% Malaysia
2000s 92.0% 66.4% 25.6% Malaysia
2010s 96.1% 72.3% 23.8% Malaysia
2020s 96.8% 74.6% 22.2% Malaysia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher literacy rate, adult male, Malaysia or Sub-Saharan Africa?
Malaysia, at 96.8% against 74.9% in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2022.
What is the difference in literacy rate, adult male between Malaysia and Sub-Saharan Africa?
21.9%, with Malaysia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Sub-Saharan Africa?
8 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2022.
How do Malaysia and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for literacy rate, adult male?
Malaysia ranks 33rd and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 32nd of 88 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Malaysia vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Literacy rate, adult male. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/literacy-rate-adult-male-percent-of-males-ages-15-and-above/malaysia/sub-saharan-africa/

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<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/literacy-rate-adult-male-percent-of-males-ages-15-and-above/malaysia/sub-saharan-africa/">Malaysia vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Literacy rate, adult male</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above)
Unit
% of males ages 15 and above
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
127 places, 2,578 data points, 1974–2024
Last refreshed

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.