Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 78.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) is 78.0%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) peaked at 78.2% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 49.2%, in 1975.
That places ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) 94th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 49.2% | — |
| 1976 | 49.6% | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 49.9% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 50.1% | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 50.4% | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 50.8% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 51.5% | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 52.0% | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 52.7% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 53.4% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 54.1% | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 55.1% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 56.0% | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 57.1% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 57.3% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 58.1% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 56.8% | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 57.7% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 58.5% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 59.2% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 60.5% | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 61.5% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 62.5% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 63.5% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 64.0% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 64.8% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 65.7% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 67.0% | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 67.7% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 68.8% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 69.0% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 68.6% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 68.2% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 68.3% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 70.0% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 70.6% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 71.3% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 72.1% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 72.7% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 73.9% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 74.3% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 75.1% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 72.9% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 74.6% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 78.2% | +4.9% |
| 2020 | 78.0% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 76.3% | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 77.0% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 77.5% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 78.0% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 49.9% | 49.2% | 50.4% | 5 |
| 1980s | 54.0% | 50.8% | 57.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.2% | 56.8% | 64.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.8% | 64.8% | 70.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.6% | 70.6% | 78.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.4% | 76.3% | 78.0% | 5 |
More education data for ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.6859 % 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), gaps filled 7.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 7.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.8034 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 875,127 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14.16 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.52 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) was 78.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The highest recorded value was 78.2% in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.2% in 1975.
- How does ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 94th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release