Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in South Africa
South Africa: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 90.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in South Africa, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in South Africa is 90.8%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in South Africa peaked at 94.5% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 74.8%, in 1980.
That places South Africa 46th out of 89 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 74.8% | — |
| 1996 | 80.9% | +8.2% |
| 2007 | 87.0% | +7.5% |
| 2009 | 91.8% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 91.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 92.0% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 92.6% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 93.1% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 93.4% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 91.9% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 94.5% | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 89.4% | -5.5% |
| 2024 | 90.8% | +1.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 90.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 94.8%, 96% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 90.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 63.2%, 1.4× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 74.8% | 74.8% | 74.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 80.9% | 80.9% | 80.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 89.4% | 87.0% | 91.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 92.8% | 91.7% | 94.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 90.1% | 89.4% | 90.8% | 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, female in South Africa?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in South Africa was 90.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 94.5% in 2019.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.8% in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- South Africa ranks 46th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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