Literacy rates among adults in South Africa
South Africa: Literacy rates among adults was 91.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in South Africa, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rates among adults in South Africa stood at 91.2%.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in South Africa peaked at 95.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 76.2%, in 1980.
South Africa ranks 45th of 89 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 76.2% | 76.2% | 76.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 82.4% | 82.4% | 82.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 90.8% | 88.7% | 92.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 93.6% | 91.7% | 95.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 90.6% | 90.0% | 91.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 101.8% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 287,310 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 2.21 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 99.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in South Africa?
- Literacy rates among adults in South Africa was 91.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates among adults recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 95.0% in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.2% in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for literacy rates among adults?
- South Africa ranks 45th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.