Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104): Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 48.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
48.5%
Change on year
up 3.4%
Rank
100th
of 201 groups
All-time high
55.4%
in 2020
All-time low
32.8%
in 1991
Years of data
51
1974–2024
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), 1974–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) stood at 48.5%.
That represents a change of up 3.4% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) peaked at 55.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 32.8%, 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, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 37.3% | — |
| 1975 | 37.3% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 37.3% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 37.3% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 37.3% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 37.3% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 37.3% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 37.5% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 37.7% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 37.8% | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 38.0% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 38.1% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 38.2% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 38.3% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 38.4% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 37.6% | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 37.8% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 32.8% | -13.1% |
| 1992 | 33.1% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 33.4% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 33.4% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 34.6% | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 34.8% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 35.5% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 36.3% | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 36.8% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 37.1% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 37.6% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 38.1% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 38.6% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 36.8% | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 36.6% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 38.0% | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 37.3% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 38.2% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 44.5% | +16.3% |
| 2010 | 43.1% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 43.7% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 44.5% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 45.3% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 47.8% | +5.5% |
| 2015 | 48.6% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 50.0% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 41.9% | -16.2% |
| 2018 | 43.5% | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 54.9% | +26.0% |
| 2020 | 55.4% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 45.1% | -18.6% |
| 2022 | 46.0% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 46.9% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 48.5% | +3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 37.3% | 37.3% | 37.3% | 6 |
| 1980s | 37.9% | 37.3% | 38.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.8% | 32.8% | 37.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 38.3% | 36.6% | 44.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.3% | 41.9% | 54.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.4% | 45.1% | 55.4% | 5 |
More education data for ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 17.47 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 7.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.8034 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 875,127 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14.16 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.6859 % change on previous year (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2.68 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) was 48.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The highest recorded value was 55.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.8% in 1991.
- How does ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
- ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 100th out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release