Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes was 97.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in South Africa, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in South Africa stood at 97.2%.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 99.0% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 85.2%, in 1980.
South Africa ranks 52nd of 95 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.
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 85.2% | — |
| 1996 | 93.9% | +10.3% |
| 2007 | 97.6% | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 98.4% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 98.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 98.8% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 96.7% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 98.4% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 96.7% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 97.2% | +0.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 97.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98.9%, 98% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 97.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 81.9%, 1.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 85.2% | 85.2% | 85.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 93.9% | 93.9% | 93.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.0% | 97.6% | 98.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 98.5% | 96.7% | 99.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 96.9% | 96.7% | 97.2% | 2 |
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 literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in South Africa?
- Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in South Africa was 97.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 99.0% in 2015.
- What is the lowest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 85.2% in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 52nd out of 95 countries with data for 2024.
- Is youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. 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, published as part of Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release