Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female in South Africa
South Africa: Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female was 36.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female in South Africa, 1996–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 36.0% for illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female in 2024.
That represents a change of down 14.3% on the previous year and down 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female in South Africa peaked at 46.0% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 34.0%, in 2019.
That places South Africa 33rd out of 42 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 45.0% | — |
| 2009 | 44.0% | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 45.0% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 38.0% | -15.6% |
| 2012 | 36.0% | -5.3% |
| 2014 | 45.0% | +25.0% |
| 2015 | 46.0% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 34.0% | -26.1% |
| 2021 | 42.0% | +23.5% |
| 2024 | 36.0% | -14.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 36.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 41.0%, 88% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 36.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 59.0%, 61% of the median. (7 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 45.0% | 45.0% | 45.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 44.0% | 44.0% | 44.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 40.7% | 34.0% | 46.0% | 6 |
| 2020s | 39.0% | 36.0% | 42.0% | 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 illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female in South Africa?
- Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female in South Africa was 36.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 46.0% in 2015.
- What is the lowest illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.0% in 2019.
- How does South Africa rank for illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female?
- South Africa ranks 33rd out of 42 countries with data for 2024.
- Is illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.0%. 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 Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release