Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 82.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
82.2%
Change on year
up 0.4%
Rank
96th
of 203 groups
All-time high
83.0%
in 2019
All-time low
57.8%
in 1974
Years of data
51
1974–2024
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), 1974–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) stood at 82.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) peaked at 83.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 57.8%, in 1974.
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 96th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 57.8% | — |
| 1975 | 57.8% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 58.2% | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 58.5% | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 58.9% | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 59.2% | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 59.6% | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 60.3% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 60.9% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 61.5% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 62.2% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 63.0% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 63.8% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 64.7% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 65.7% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 65.9% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 66.6% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 65.5% | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 66.3% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 67.0% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 67.9% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 68.5% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 69.0% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 69.5% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 70.3% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 71.0% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 71.7% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 72.4% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 73.8% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 74.3% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 75.5% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 75.6% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 75.1% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 74.8% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 74.8% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 76.4% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 77.0% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 77.6% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 78.3% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 78.9% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 79.7% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 79.8% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 80.6% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 78.0% | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 79.5% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 83.0% | +4.4% |
| 2020 | 82.9% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 81.0% | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 81.5% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 81.9% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 82.2% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 58.4% | 57.8% | 59.2% | 6 |
| 1980s | 62.8% | 59.6% | 65.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 68.2% | 65.5% | 71.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 74.4% | 71.7% | 76.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.2% | 77.0% | 83.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.9% | 81.0% | 82.9% | 5 |
More education data for ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 7.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 0.2683 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.24 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.01 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 7.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.6859 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14.16 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) was 82.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The highest recorded value was 83.0% in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.8% in 1974.
- How does ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 96th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release