Literacy in South Africa
South Africa: Literacy was 91.15 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
91.15
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
45th
of 89 countries
All-time high
95.02
in 2019
All-time low
76.2
in 1980
Years of data
13
1980–2024
Literacy in South Africa, 1980–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy in South Africa stood at 91.15.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy in South Africa peaked at 95.02 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.
Literacy in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 76.2 | — |
| 1996 | 82.4 | +8.1% |
| 2007 | 88.72 | +7.7% |
| 2009 | 92.89 | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 92.88 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 93.1 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 93.73 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 94.14 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 94.37 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 91.74 | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 95.02 | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 90 | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 91.15 | +1.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 91.15 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.55, 95% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 91.15 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70.87, 1.3× the median. (28 countries reporting)
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 | 90.81 | 88.72 | 92.89 | 2 |
| 2010s | 93.57 | 91.74 | 95.02 | 7 |
| 2020s | 90.58 | 90 | 91.15 | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 94.05 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 93.94 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy in South Africa?
- Literacy in South Africa was 91.15 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 95.02 in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.2 in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for literacy?
- South Africa ranks 45th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).