Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 35.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, 1983–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa is 35.8%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 2.6% on the previous year and up 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa peaked at 37.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 18.7%, in 1991.
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa ranks 117th 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 UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 20.5% | — |
| 1984 | 20.6% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 20.7% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 20.7% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 20.8% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 20.9% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 20.6% | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 20.7% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 18.7% | -9.9% |
| 1992 | 18.9% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 19.1% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 19.1% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 19.8% | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 20.2% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 20.9% | +3.7% |
| 1998 | 22.0% | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 22.7% | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 23.0% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 23.4% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 23.1% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 23.5% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 22.7% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 22.9% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 23.7% | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 24.9% | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 27.8% | +11.4% |
| 2009 | 30.4% | +9.6% |
| 2010 | 30.0% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 30.4% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 30.1% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 30.3% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 31.6% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 32.0% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 32.9% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 30.6% | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 31.6% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 36.6% | +15.7% |
| 2020 | 37.1% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 33.5% | -9.9% |
| 2022 | 34.1% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 34.8% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 35.8% | +2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.7% | 20.5% | 20.9% | 7 |
| 1990s | 20.2% | 18.7% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.5% | 22.7% | 30.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.6% | 30.0% | 36.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.1% | 33.5% | 37.1% | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 49.26 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.50 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.77 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 36.30 million (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 50.69 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 8.67 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 9.20 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa was 35.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 37.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.7% in 1991.
- How does UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
- UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa ranks 117th out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Eastern and Southern 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