Literacy rate in South Africa in 2024 — 91.15%. Ranked 19 in the world out of 29. Since 1980, the indicator has risen by 14.95 pp.
1980–2024 · % of population aged 15+
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: South Africa
| Year | % | Change, pp |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 91.15 | — |
| 2021 | 90 | — |
| 2019 | 95.02 | — |
| 2016 | 91.74 | −2.63 pp |
| 2015 | 94.37 | +0.23 pp |
| 2014 | 94.14 | — |
| 2012 | 93.73 | +0.63 pp |
| 2011 | 93.1 | +0.22 pp |
| 2010 | 92.88 | −0.01 pp |
| 2009 | 92.89 | — |
| 2007 | 88.72 | — |
| 1996 | 82.4 | — |
| 1980 | 76.2 | — |
The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages
South Africa
91.15
Lesotho
90.45
The share of the population aged 15 and older able to read and write a short simple statement about their everyday life. The UNESCO definition is deliberately minimal — it is the threshold of functional literacy, not an assessment of the quality of education. In most countries the data come from censuses and surveys, so they are updated irregularly.
Important: The series is incomplete: values are published only for the years in which a census or a literacy survey was conducted.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), license CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.
What share of their potential a child born today will manage to realize.
Education Population with tertiary educationWhat share of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education Primary completion rateWhat share of children reach the last grade of primary school.
Education Primary school enrollmentThe net enrollment rate: the share of children of school age attending primary school.