Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in South Africa
South Africa: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male was 94.2% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
94.2%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
36th
of 57 countries
All-time high
97.6%
in 2015
All-time low
90.8%
in 1996
Years of data
11
1996–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in South Africa, 1996–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 94.2% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in 2024.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in South Africa peaked at 97.6% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 90.8%, in 1996.
That places South Africa 36th out of 57 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 90.8% | — |
| 2009 | 96.8% | +6.6% |
| 2010 | 96.8% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 96.8% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 97.3% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 97.3% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 97.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 93.6% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 97.1% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 93.8% | -3.4% |
| 2024 | 94.2% | +0.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 94.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 97.4%, 97% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 94.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 89.2%, 1.1× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 90.8% | 90.8% | 90.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 96.8% | 96.8% | 96.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 96.6% | 93.6% | 97.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 94.0% | 93.8% | 94.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 33 Dominican Republic 95.1% compare
- 34 El Salvador 94.8% compare
- 35 India 94.2% compare
- 37 Togo 94.1% compare
- 38 Tanzania, United Republic of 93.8% compare
- 39 Iran, Islamic Republic of 93.3% 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 literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in South Africa?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in South Africa was 94.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 97.6% in 2015.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 90.8% in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male?
- South Africa ranks 36th out of 57 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. 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, urban, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release