Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa
UIS: Sub-saharan Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 31.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa, 1983–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
UIS: Sub-saharan Africa recorded 31.3% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 27.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 31.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.8%, in 1991.
That places UIS: Sub-saharan Africa 135th 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 42 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 14.7% | — |
| 1984 | 14.7% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 14.8% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 14.8% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 14.9% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 15.0% | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 14.9% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 14.9% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 13.8% | -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 | 15.6% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 16.4% | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 16.9% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 16.0% | -5.0% |
| 2001 | 16.3% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 16.3% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 16.6% | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 16.4% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 16.6% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 18.5% | +11.8% |
| 2007 | 19.7% | +6.3% |
| 2008 | 21.4% | +8.9% |
| 2009 | 23.3% | +8.6% |
| 2010 | 23.4% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 23.1% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 23.2% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 23.7% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 24.5% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 24.8% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 25.7% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 24.9% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 27.3% | +9.3% |
| 2019 | 30.4% | +11.5% |
| 2020 | 31.1% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 29.2% | -5.9% |
| 2022 | 29.9% | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 30.5% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 31.3% | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.8% | 14.7% | 15.0% | 7 |
| 1990s | 15.0% | 13.8% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.1% | 16.0% | 23.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.1% | 23.1% | 30.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.4% | 29.2% | 31.3% | 5 |
More education data for UIS: Sub-saharan Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 9.73 million (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7518 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 37.39 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 40.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25.04 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.63 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.6 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.53 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UIS: 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 UIS: 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 UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.8% in 1991.
- How does UIS: Sub-saharan Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
- UIS: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 135th out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UIS: 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