Literacy rate, adult total in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Literacy rate, adult total was 68.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1985–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, adult total in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 68.7%. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 68.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 49.7%, in 1985.
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 32nd of 39 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult total in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 49.7% | — |
| 1986 | 50.0% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 50.6% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 51.1% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 51.7% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 52.3% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 52.7% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 53.1% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 53.7% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 54.3% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 54.7% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 55.4% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 56.2% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 56.8% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 57.7% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 56.6% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 57.3% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 58.0% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 58.6% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 59.3% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 58.9% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 58.0% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 57.8% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 58.2% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 58.6% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 59.3% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 61.0% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 62.2% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 63.1% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 63.7% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 64.3% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 64.9% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 65.2% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 67.1% | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 67.7% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 67.9% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 67.8% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 68.2% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 68.4% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 68.7% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 50.6% | 49.7% | 51.7% | 5 |
| 1990s | 54.7% | 52.3% | 57.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.1% | 56.6% | 59.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.9% | 59.3% | 67.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.2% | 67.8% | 68.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.80 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.43 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9738 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 68.7% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 68.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.7% in 1985.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 32nd out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.