South Africa vs WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female
South Africa
93.1%
in 2024
WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)
96.7%
in 2024
South Africa rank
46th
WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) rank
46th
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female over time
- South Africa
- WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)
How they compare
WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) currently reports 96.7% against 93.1% in South Africa, a difference of 3.6%.
The two have swapped places 3 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 46th of 88 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 71.8% | 55.8% | 16.0% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 78.9% | 78.4% | 0.5% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 90.1% | 92.8% | 2.7% | WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) |
| 2010s | 93.9% | 94.7% | 0.8% | WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) |
| 2020s | 92.3% | 96.4% | 4.1% | WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, South Africa or WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)?
- WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025), at 96.7% against 93.1% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female between South Africa and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025)?
- 3.6%, 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 literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- South Africa ranks 46th and WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) ranks 46th of 88 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Literacy rate, population 25-64 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