Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, female in South Africa
South Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, female was 31.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, female in South Africa, 1996–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, female in South Africa is 31.0%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 12.1% on the previous year and down 29.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, female in South Africa peaked at 53.1% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 25.5%, in 1996.
South Africa ranks 34th of 55 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 25.5% | — |
| 2009 | 43.5% | +70.3% |
| 2010 | 38.2% | -12.1% |
| 2011 | 40.3% | +5.5% |
| 2012 | 42.2% | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 43.6% | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 44.3% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 44.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 53.1% | +20.4% |
| 2021 | 27.7% | -47.9% |
| 2024 | 31.0% | +12.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.5% | 25.5% | 25.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 43.5% | 43.5% | 43.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 43.7% | 38.2% | 53.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 29.3% | 27.7% | 31.0% | 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, rural, female in South Africa?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, female in South Africa was 31.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 53.1% in 2019.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.5% in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, female?
- South Africa ranks 34th out of 55 countries with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, rural, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.0%. 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, rural, female (%). 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