Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern
WB: Africa Eastern and Southern: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 35.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern, 1985–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern is 35.7%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 36.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 17.3%, in 1991.
That places WB: Africa Eastern and Southern 118th 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 40 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 19.1% | — |
| 1986 | 19.1% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 19.2% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 19.3% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 19.0% | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 19.1% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 17.3% | -9.6% |
| 1992 | 17.4% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 17.6% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 17.6% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 18.2% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 18.5% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 19.2% | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 20.2% | +5.1% |
| 1999 | 20.9% | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 21.2% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 21.6% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 21.4% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 21.8% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 21.1% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 21.4% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 24.2% | +13.3% |
| 2007 | 25.3% | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 27.8% | +10.0% |
| 2009 | 30.2% | +8.5% |
| 2010 | 29.9% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 29.0% | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 28.9% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 29.3% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 30.6% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 30.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 31.6% | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 29.8% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 30.9% | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 35.4% | +14.7% |
| 2020 | 36.1% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 33.1% | -8.2% |
| 2022 | 33.9% | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 34.7% | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 35.7% | +2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 19.2% | 19.0% | 19.3% | 5 |
| 1990s | 18.6% | 17.3% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.6% | 21.1% | 30.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.6% | 28.9% | 35.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.7% | 33.1% | 36.1% | 5 |
More education data for WB: Africa Eastern and Southern
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 20.71 million (2022)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.23 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.92 million (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.75 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 18.88 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.91 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 23.18 million (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.98 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.9717 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 46.07 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern was 35.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 36.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.3% in 1991.
- How does WB: Africa Eastern and Southern rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
- WB: Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 118th out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Africa Eastern and Southern 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