Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern
WB: Africa Eastern and Southern: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 70.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern, 1987–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern is 70.6%, measured 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 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 70.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 51.9%, in 1987.
WB: Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 145th of 203 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, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 51.9% | — |
| 1988 | 52.5% | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 53.0% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 53.6% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 53.7% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 54.4% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 55.0% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 55.8% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 56.2% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 56.9% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 57.7% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 58.5% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 59.3% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 60.0% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 60.8% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 60.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 61.5% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 61.8% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 61.2% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 58.8% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 59.7% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 59.7% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 60.4% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 61.0% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 63.0% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 64.8% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 65.7% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 66.4% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 66.9% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 67.7% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 67.6% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 68.4% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 69.7% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 69.9% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 69.6% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 70.0% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 70.3% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 70.6% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 52.5% | 51.9% | 53.0% | 3 |
| 1990s | 56.1% | 53.6% | 59.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.5% | 58.8% | 61.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.1% | 61.0% | 69.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.0% | 69.6% | 70.6% | 5 |
More education data for WB: Africa Eastern and Southern
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 20.71 million (2022)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.23 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.92 million (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.75 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 18.88 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.91 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 23.18 million (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.98 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.9717 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 46.07 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern was 70.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 70.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.9% in 1987.
- How does WB: Africa Eastern and Southern rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- WB: Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 145th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Africa Eastern and Southern 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release