Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in South Africa
South Africa: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male was 91.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in South Africa, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in South Africa stood at 91.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in South Africa peaked at 95.5% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 77.5%, in 1980.
That places South Africa 50th out of 88 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, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 77.5% | — |
| 1996 | 84.1% | +8.4% |
| 2007 | 90.7% | +7.9% |
| 2009 | 94.1% | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 94.1% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 94.2% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 95.0% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 95.3% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 95.4% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 91.5% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 95.5% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 90.7% | -5.1% |
| 2024 | 91.5% | +0.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 91.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.8%, 95% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 91.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 79.2%, 1.2× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 77.5% | 77.5% | 77.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 84.1% | 84.1% | 84.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 92.4% | 90.7% | 94.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 94.4% | 91.5% | 95.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 91.1% | 90.7% | 91.5% | 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, male in South Africa?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in South Africa was 91.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 95.5% in 2019.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.5% in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male?
- South Africa ranks 50th out of 88 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release