Literacy rate, adult total in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Literacy rate, adult total was 73.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1987–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
Africa Eastern and Southern recorded 73.7% for literacy rate, adult total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 73.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 56.9%, in 1987.
That places Africa Eastern and Southern 28th out of 39 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult total in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 56.9% | — |
| 1988 | 57.2% | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 57.6% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 58.1% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 58.2% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 58.5% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 58.9% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 59.3% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 59.9% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 60.4% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 61.1% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 61.3% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 62.1% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 62.7% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 63.2% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 63.8% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 64.3% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 64.6% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 63.9% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 62.0% | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 63.0% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 63.2% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 64.0% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 64.7% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 66.8% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 68.5% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 69.4% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 69.8% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 70.2% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 71.0% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 70.9% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 71.7% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 72.8% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 73.0% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 72.7% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 73.1% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 73.4% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 73.7% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 57.2% | 56.9% | 57.6% | 3 |
| 1990s | 59.8% | 58.1% | 62.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.5% | 62.0% | 64.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.6% | 64.7% | 72.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.2% | 72.7% | 73.7% | 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 total in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Africa Eastern and Southern was 73.7% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 73.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.9% in 1987.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 28th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. 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 total (% of people 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.