Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa
South Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity was 0.86 GPIA in 2024. ▼ Falling
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
The most recent figure for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa is 0.86 GPIA, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 6.2% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa peaked at 1 GPIA in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.8 GPIA, in 2007.
That places South Africa 34th out of 84 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.94 GPIA | — |
| 1996 | 0.9 GPIA | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 0.8 GPIA | -11.1% |
| 2009 | 0.87 GPIA | +8.7% |
| 2010 | 0.86 GPIA | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 0.87 GPIA | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 0.87 GPIA | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.87 GPIA | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.88 GPIA | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 1 GPIA | +13.6% |
| 2019 | 0.91 GPIA | -9.0% |
| 2021 | 0.81 GPIA | -11.0% |
| 2024 | 0.86 GPIA | +6.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.94 GPIA | 0.94 GPIA | 0.94 GPIA | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.9 GPIA | 0.9 GPIA | 0.9 GPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.835 GPIA | 0.8 GPIA | 0.87 GPIA | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.8943 GPIA | 0.86 GPIA | 1 GPIA | 7 |
| 2020s | 0.835 GPIA | 0.81 GPIA | 0.86 GPIA | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 31 Saudi Arabia 0.88 GPIA compare
- 32 United Arab Emirates 0.87 GPIA compare
- 32 China 0.87 GPIA compare
- 34 Singapore 0.86 GPIA compare
- 34 El Salvador 0.86 GPIA compare
- 37 Malaysia 0.85 GPIA 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 elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity in South Africa was 0.86 GPIA in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1 GPIA in 2016.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8 GPIA in 2007.
- How does South Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity?
- South Africa ranks 34th out of 84 countries with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). 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