Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Africa
South Africa: Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female was 33.0% in 2017. ▼ Falling
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Africa, 1980–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/).
Analysis
In 2017, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Africa stood at 33.0%.
That represents a change of down 9.7% on the previous year and down 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Africa peaked at 50.8% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 32.3%, in 2012.
South Africa ranks 74th of 86 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 50.8% | — |
| 1996 | 46.7% | -8.1% |
| 2007 | 38.8% | -16.8% |
| 2009 | 35.8% | -7.8% |
| 2010 | 40.2% | +12.1% |
| 2011 | 34.7% | -13.6% |
| 2012 | 32.3% | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 40.6% | +25.6% |
| 2015 | 36.6% | -9.9% |
| 2017 | 33.0% | -9.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 50.8% | 50.8% | 50.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 46.7% | 46.7% | 46.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 37.3% | 35.8% | 38.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 36.2% | 32.3% | 40.6% | 6 |
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 youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Africa?
- Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Africa was 33.0% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/).
- What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 50.8% in 1980.
- What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.3% in 2012.
- How does South Africa rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female?
- South Africa ranks 74th out of 86 countries with data for 2017.
- Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/), published as part of Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of the youth illiterate population that is female.