Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female in South Africa
South Africa: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female was 51.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female in South Africa, 1996–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 51.0% for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female in South Africa peaked at 59.0% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 51.0%, in 2019.
That places South Africa 36th out of 40 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 52.0% | — |
| 2009 | 59.0% | +13.5% |
| 2010 | 57.0% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 57.0% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 58.0% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 57.0% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 57.0% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 51.0% | -10.5% |
| 2021 | 52.0% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 51.0% | -1.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 51.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 63.0%, 81% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 51.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 63.0%, 81% of the median. (7 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 52.0% | 52.0% | 52.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 59.0% | 59.0% | 59.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 56.2% | 51.0% | 58.0% | 6 |
| 2020s | 51.5% | 51.0% | 52.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 34 Brazil 54.0% compare
- 34 Honduras 54.0% compare
- 37 Philippines 50.0% compare
- 37 Uzbekistan 50.0% compare
- 39 Dominican Republic 49.0% compare
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, urban, % female in South Africa?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female in South Africa was 51.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 59.0% in 2009.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.0% in 2019.
- How does South Africa rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female?
- South Africa ranks 36th out of 40 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. 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, urban, % female. 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