Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in South Africa
South Africa: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 93.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in South Africa, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 93.1% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in 2024.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in South Africa peaked at 96.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 71.8%, in 1980.
That places South Africa 46th out of 88 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 71.8% | — |
| 1996 | 78.9% | +10.0% |
| 2007 | 87.8% | +11.3% |
| 2009 | 92.3% | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 92.3% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 92.8% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 93.5% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 94.3% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 94.7% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 93.8% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 96.0% | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 91.5% | -4.6% |
| 2024 | 93.1% | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 71.8% | 71.8% | 71.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 78.9% | 78.9% | 78.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 90.1% | 87.8% | 92.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 93.9% | 92.3% | 96.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 92.3% | 91.5% | 93.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in South Africa?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in South Africa was 93.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 96.0% in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.8% in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- South Africa ranks 46th out of 88 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release