Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, adjusted gender in South Africa
South Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, adjusted gender was 0.7 GPIA in 2024. ▼ Falling
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, adjusted gender in South Africa, 1996–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.7 GPIA for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, adjusted gender in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, adjusted gender in South Africa peaked at 0.84 GPIA in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.7 GPIA, in 2024.
South Africa ranks 27th of 53 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, adjusted gender in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.84 GPIA | — |
| 2009 | 0.79 GPIA | -6.0% |
| 2010 | 0.75 GPIA | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 0.78 GPIA | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 0.74 GPIA | -5.1% |
| 2014 | 0.77 GPIA | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 0.78 GPIA | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 0.71 GPIA | -9.0% |
| 2019 | 0.83 GPIA | +16.9% |
| 2021 | 0.72 GPIA | -13.3% |
| 2024 | 0.7 GPIA | -2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.84 GPIA | 0.84 GPIA | 0.84 GPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.79 GPIA | 0.79 GPIA | 0.79 GPIA | 1 |
| 2010s | 0.7657 GPIA | 0.71 GPIA | 0.83 GPIA | 7 |
| 2020s | 0.71 GPIA | 0.7 GPIA | 0.72 GPIA | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 24 Indonesia 0.77 GPIA compare
- 25 Oman 0.73 GPIA compare
- 26 Kuwait 0.72 GPIA compare
- 28 Türkiye 0.68 GPIA compare
- 29 Palestine, State of 0.58 GPIA compare
- 30 Bangladesh 0.54 GPIA compare
- 30 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 0.54 GPIA compare
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, rural, adjusted gender in South Africa?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, adjusted gender in South Africa was 0.7 GPIA in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, adjusted gender recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.84 GPIA in 1996.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, adjusted gender recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7 GPIA in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, adjusted gender?
- South Africa ranks 27th out of 53 countries with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, adjusted gender rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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, rural, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release