Cross country literacy rates in South Africa
South Africa: Cross country literacy rates was 91.15 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
91.15
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
71st
of 128 countries
All-time high
95.02
in 2019
All-time low
42.5
in 1950
Years of data
14
1950–2024
Cross country literacy rates in South Africa, 1950–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, cross country literacy rates in South Africa stood at 91.15.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cross country literacy rates in South Africa peaked at 95.02 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 42.5, in 1950.
That places South Africa 71st out of 128 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Cross country literacy rates in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 42.5 | — |
| 1980 | 76.2 | +79.3% |
| 1996 | 82.4 | +8.1% |
| 2007 | 88.72 | +7.7% |
| 2009 | 92.89 | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 92.88 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 93.1 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 93.73 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 94.14 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 94.37 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 91.74 | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 95.02 | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 90 | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 91.15 | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 42.5 | 42.5 | 42.5 | 1 |
| 1980s | 76.2 | 76.2 | 76.2 | 1 |
| 1990s | 82.4 | 82.4 | 82.4 | 1 |
| 2000s | 90.81 | 88.72 | 92.89 | 2 |
| 2010s | 93.57 | 91.74 | 95.02 | 7 |
| 2020s | 90.58 | 90 | 91.15 | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 287,310 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cross country literacy rates in South Africa?
- Cross country literacy rates in South Africa was 91.15 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cross country literacy rates recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 95.02 in 2019.
- What is the lowest cross country literacy rates recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.5 in 1950.
- How does South Africa rank for cross country literacy rates?
- South Africa ranks 71st out of 128 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cross country literacy rates rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Cross country literacy rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).