Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
SDG: Sub-saharan Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 31.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 1983–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa stood at 31.3%. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 27.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 31.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.9%, in 1991.
SDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 134th of 201 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 14.7% | — |
| 1984 | 14.8% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 14.8% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 14.9% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 14.9% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 15.1% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 14.9% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 15.0% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 13.9% | -7.3% |
| 1992 | 14.0% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 14.2% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 14.2% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 14.8% | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 15.1% | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 15.7% | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 16.4% | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 16.9% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 16.1% | -5.0% |
| 2001 | 16.4% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 16.3% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 16.7% | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 16.4% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 16.6% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 18.5% | +11.8% |
| 2007 | 19.7% | +6.3% |
| 2008 | 21.4% | +8.9% |
| 2009 | 23.2% | +8.5% |
| 2010 | 23.3% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 23.0% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 23.2% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 23.7% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 24.5% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 24.8% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 25.7% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 25.0% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 27.3% | +9.2% |
| 2019 | 30.4% | +11.4% |
| 2020 | 31.1% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 29.3% | -5.8% |
| 2022 | 29.9% | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 30.6% | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 31.3% | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.9% | 14.7% | 15.1% | 7 |
| 1990s | 15.0% | 13.9% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.1% | 16.1% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.1% | 23.0% | 30.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.4% | 29.3% | 31.3% | 5 |
More education data for SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 191.30 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 14.32 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.68 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 37.60 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 12.63 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 12.47 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.8202 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.94 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 97.68 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa was 31.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 31.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.9% in 1991.
- How does SDG: Sub-saharan Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
- SDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 134th out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this SDG: 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release