Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 63.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, 1984–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa recorded 63.6% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa peaked at 63.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 37.4%, in 1984.
That places UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa 141st 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 41 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 37.4% | — |
| 1985 | 38.0% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 38.6% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 39.5% | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 40.2% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 40.7% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 41.5% | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 41.5% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 42.4% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 43.2% | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 44.0% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 45.0% | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 46.1% | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 47.5% | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 48.5% | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 49.4% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 50.4% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 51.3% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 50.8% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 51.7% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 52.1% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 51.4% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 50.5% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 51.7% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 51.7% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 52.5% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 53.2% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 54.0% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 56.1% | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 57.1% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 58.1% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 58.7% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 59.7% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 59.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 60.9% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 62.4% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 62.5% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 62.3% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 62.8% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 63.2% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 63.6% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.1% | 37.4% | 40.7% | 6 |
| 1990s | 44.9% | 41.5% | 49.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.4% | 50.4% | 52.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.0% | 53.2% | 62.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.9% | 62.3% | 63.6% | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 49.26 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.50 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.77 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 36.30 million (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 50.69 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 8.67 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 9.20 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa was 63.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 63.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.4% in 1984.
- How does UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa ranks 141st out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Eastern and Southern 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 — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release