Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104): Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes was 56.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
56.7%
Change on year
up 2.2%
Rank
100th
of 201 groups
All-time high
62.5%
in 2020
All-time low
39.2%
in 1991
Years of data
51
1974–2024
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), 1974–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) is 56.7%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) peaked at 62.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 39.2%, in 1991.
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 100th of 201 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 43.0% | — |
| 1975 | 43.0% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 43.0% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 43.1% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 43.1% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 43.1% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 43.1% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 43.3% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 43.6% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 43.8% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 44.0% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 44.1% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 44.2% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 44.4% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 44.5% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 43.8% | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 44.0% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 39.2% | -10.9% |
| 1992 | 39.6% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 39.9% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 40.0% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 40.7% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 40.9% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 41.5% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 42.3% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 43.1% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 43.4% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 44.0% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 44.7% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 45.4% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 45.5% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 45.5% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 46.8% | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 47.0% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 47.8% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 53.1% | +11.2% |
| 2010 | 51.5% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 51.9% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 53.0% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 53.8% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 56.0% | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 56.6% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 58.1% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 50.0% | -14.0% |
| 2018 | 51.2% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 62.0% | +21.0% |
| 2020 | 62.5% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 53.7% | -14.1% |
| 2022 | 54.6% | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 55.4% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 56.7% | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 43.1% | 43.0% | 43.1% | 6 |
| 1980s | 43.9% | 43.1% | 44.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 41.1% | 39.2% | 44.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.3% | 43.4% | 53.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.4% | 50.0% | 62.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.6% | 53.7% | 62.5% | 5 |
More education data for ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 7.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 0.2683 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.24 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.01 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 7.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.6859 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14.16 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) was 56.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The highest recorded value was 62.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.2% in 1991.
- How does ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes?
- ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 100th out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release