Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in South Africa
South Africa: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female was 1.31 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in South Africa, 1996–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.31 million for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in 2024.
The figure is down 11.8% on the previous year and up 33.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in South Africa peaked at 1.98 million in 1996 and was at its lowest, 792,301, in 2019.
That places South Africa 13th out of 40 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1.98 million | — |
| 2009 | 1.08 million | -45.7% |
| 2010 | 1.12 million | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 1.06 million | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 1.04 million | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 979,912 | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 970,610 | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 792,301 | -18.4% |
| 2021 | 1.48 million | +86.8% |
| 2024 | 1.31 million | -11.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.98 million | 1.98 million | 1.98 million | 1 |
| 2000s | 1.08 million | 1.08 million | 1.08 million | 1 |
| 2010s | 994,367 | 792,301 | 1.12 million | 6 |
| 2020s | 1.39 million | 1.31 million | 1.48 million | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in South Africa?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in South Africa was 1.31 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.98 million in 1996.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 792,301 in 2019.
- How does South Africa rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female?
- South Africa ranks 13th out of 40 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release