Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa
South Africa: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity was 0.99 GPIA in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
0.99 GPIA
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
21st
of 88 countries
All-time high
1 GPIA
in 2016
All-time low
0.96 GPIA
in 1980
Years of data
13
1980–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.99 GPIA for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in 2024.
The figure is up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa peaked at 1 GPIA in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.96 GPIA, in 1980.
South Africa ranks 21st of 88 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.96 GPIA | — |
| 1996 | 0.96 GPIA | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.96 GPIA | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.97 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.97 GPIA | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.98 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 0.97 GPIA | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 0.98 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 0.98 GPIA | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1 GPIA | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 0.99 GPIA | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 0.99 GPIA | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.99 GPIA | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.99 GPIA is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.99 GPIA, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.99 GPIA is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8 GPIA, 1.2× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.96 GPIA | 0.96 GPIA | 0.96 GPIA | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.96 GPIA | 0.96 GPIA | 0.96 GPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.965 GPIA | 0.96 GPIA | 0.97 GPIA | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.9814 GPIA | 0.97 GPIA | 1 GPIA | 7 |
| 2020s | 0.99 GPIA | 0.99 GPIA | 0.99 GPIA | 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 literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa was 0.99 GPIA in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1 GPIA in 2016.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.96 GPIA in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity?
- South Africa ranks 21st out of 88 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release