Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male was 8.27 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
8.27 million
Change on year
up 1.2%
Rank
139th
of 203 groups
All-time high
8.29 million
in 2017
All-time low
5.85 million
in 2004
Years of data
36
1989–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) recorded 8.27 million for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 30.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) peaked at 8.29 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 5.85 million, in 2004.
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 139th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 6.45 million | — |
| 1990 | 6.35 million | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 6.75 million | +6.4% |
| 1992 | 6.92 million | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 6.93 million | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 7.16 million | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 6.90 million | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 6.91 million | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 6.84 million | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 6.88 million | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 6.50 million | -5.5% |
| 2000 | 6.51 million | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 6.52 million | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 6.07 million | -6.9% |
| 2003 | 6.14 million | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 5.85 million | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 6.04 million | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 6.46 million | +7.0% |
| 2007 | 6.81 million | +5.5% |
| 2008 | 6.94 million | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 6.68 million | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 6.33 million | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 6.37 million | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 6.30 million | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 6.20 million | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 6.36 million | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 6.74 million | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 6.67 million | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 8.29 million | +24.4% |
| 2018 | 7.80 million | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 6.46 million | -17.1% |
| 2020 | 6.65 million | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 7.93 million | +19.2% |
| 2022 | 8.05 million | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 8.17 million | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 8.27 million | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.45 million | 6.45 million | 6.45 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 6.82 million | 6.35 million | 7.16 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.40 million | 5.85 million | 6.94 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.75 million | 6.20 million | 8.29 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.81 million | 6.65 million | 8.27 million | 5 |
More education data for ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 7.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 0.2683 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.24 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.01 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 7.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.6859 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14.16 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) was 8.27 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The highest recorded value was 8.29 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.85 million in 2004.
- How does ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male?
- ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 139th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male rising or falling in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release