Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 68.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, 1984–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa recorded 68.3% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa peaked at 68.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 44.8%, in 1984.
That places UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa 139th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 44.8% | — |
| 1985 | 45.3% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 45.8% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 46.5% | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 47.1% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 47.5% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 48.2% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 48.3% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 48.8% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 49.5% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 50.0% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 51.1% | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 52.0% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 53.2% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 53.6% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 54.5% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 55.2% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 56.0% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 55.8% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 56.5% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 56.8% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 56.1% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 55.0% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 56.4% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 56.7% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 57.7% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 58.6% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 59.4% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 61.4% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 62.4% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 63.1% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 63.7% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 64.7% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 64.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 65.7% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 67.1% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 67.3% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 67.0% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 67.5% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 67.9% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 68.3% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 46.2% | 44.8% | 47.5% | 6 |
| 1990s | 50.9% | 48.2% | 54.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 56.2% | 55.0% | 57.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.1% | 58.6% | 67.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.6% | 67.0% | 68.3% | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 49.26 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.50 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.77 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 36.30 million (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 50.69 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 8.67 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 9.20 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa was 68.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 68.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.8% in 1984.
- How does UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa ranks 139th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Eastern and Southern 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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About this data
February 2026 Data Release