Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa
MDG: Sub-saharan Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 30.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 1984–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
MDG: Sub-saharan Africa recorded 30.8% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 27.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 30.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.6%, in 1991.
That places MDG: Sub-saharan Africa 143rd out of 201 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 14.4% | — |
| 1985 | 14.5% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 14.5% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 14.6% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 14.7% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 14.5% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 14.6% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 13.6% | -7.2% |
| 1992 | 13.7% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 13.8% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 13.9% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 14.4% | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 14.7% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 15.3% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 16.1% | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 16.6% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 15.8% | -4.8% |
| 2001 | 16.1% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 16.1% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 16.4% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 16.2% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 16.3% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 18.2% | +11.8% |
| 2007 | 19.4% | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 21.1% | +8.8% |
| 2009 | 22.9% | +8.5% |
| 2010 | 22.9% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 22.7% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 22.9% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 23.4% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 24.2% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 24.5% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 25.4% | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 24.7% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 26.9% | +9.1% |
| 2019 | 30.0% | +11.2% |
| 2020 | 30.6% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 28.8% | -5.8% |
| 2022 | 29.4% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 30.1% | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 30.8% | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.5% | 14.4% | 14.7% | 6 |
| 1990s | 14.7% | 13.6% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.8% | 15.8% | 22.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.8% | 22.7% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.9% | 28.8% | 30.8% | 5 |
More education data for MDG: Sub-saharan Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 5.90 million (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 39.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 42.42 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 26.38 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.52 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 3.88 % change on previous year (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.60 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa was 30.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 30.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.6% in 1991.
- How does MDG: Sub-saharan Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
- MDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 143rd out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MDG: Sub-saharan Africa 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