Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in South Africa
South Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 58.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in South Africa, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in South Africa is 58.3%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 7.8% on the previous year and down 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in South Africa peaked at 73.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 47.1%, in 1996.
South Africa ranks 49th of 90 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 55.4% | — |
| 1996 | 47.1% | -15.1% |
| 2007 | 51.4% | +9.1% |
| 2009 | 64.3% | +25.2% |
| 2010 | 63.3% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 64.3% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 65.6% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 67.3% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 68.7% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 69.1% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 73.7% | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 54.1% | -26.5% |
| 2024 | 58.3% | +7.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 55.4% | 55.4% | 55.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 47.1% | 47.1% | 47.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 57.8% | 51.4% | 64.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 67.4% | 63.3% | 73.7% | 7 |
| 2020s | 56.2% | 54.1% | 58.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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, female in South Africa?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in South Africa was 58.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 73.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.1% in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
- South Africa ranks 49th out of 90 countries with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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