Literacy rate, adult male in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Literacy rate, adult male was 78.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult male in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1987–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult male in Africa Eastern and Southern is 78.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 78.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 67.5%, in 1987.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 28th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult male in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 67.5% | — |
| 1988 | 67.7% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 68.0% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 68.4% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 68.4% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 68.5% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 68.8% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 69.2% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 69.5% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 69.7% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 70.0% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 70.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 71.0% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 71.2% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 71.4% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 73.0% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 73.2% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 73.3% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 72.6% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 70.6% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 71.3% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 71.5% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 72.1% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 72.7% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 74.4% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 75.9% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 76.5% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 76.7% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 76.9% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 77.4% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 77.0% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 77.6% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 78.5% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 78.6% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 78.2% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 78.3% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 78.5% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 78.6% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 67.7% | 67.5% | 68.0% | 3 |
| 1990s | 69.3% | 68.4% | 71.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.0% | 70.6% | 73.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.4% | 72.7% | 78.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.4% | 78.2% | 78.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More education data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 46.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 121.03 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1573 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 56.6% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.0% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.06 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult male in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Literacy rate, adult male in Africa Eastern and Southern was 78.6% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 78.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.5% in 1987.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for literacy rate, adult male?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 28th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.