Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern
WB: Africa Eastern and Southern: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 64.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female 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, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern is 64.3%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 64.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 40.0%, in 1987.
That places WB: Africa Eastern and Southern 139th 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 38 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 40.0% | — |
| 1988 | 40.6% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 41.1% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 41.8% | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 42.6% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 43.3% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 44.0% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 44.9% | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 45.8% | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 47.2% | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 48.2% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 49.1% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 50.1% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 51.1% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 50.8% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 51.7% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 52.2% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 51.7% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 49.5% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 50.6% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 50.6% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 51.4% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 52.1% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 54.5% | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 56.4% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 57.4% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 58.4% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 59.1% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 60.0% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 60.2% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 61.2% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 62.7% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 62.9% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 62.8% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 63.4% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 63.9% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 64.3% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 40.6% | 40.0% | 41.1% | 3 |
| 1990s | 44.9% | 41.8% | 49.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.0% | 49.5% | 52.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.2% | 52.1% | 62.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.5% | 62.8% | 64.3% | 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, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern was 64.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 64.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.0% in 1987.
- How does WB: Africa Eastern and Southern rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- WB: Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 139th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release