As of 2021, South Africa's total literacy rate was around 90 percent, which means 90 percent of all South Africans could read and write. There is literally no definitionThe literacy rate measures the percentage of people aged 15 and above who can read and write. There is no common definition for what counts as being literate; individual countries use individual assessments and standards to define it. Despite this, the literacy rate is an important indicator of the standard of education and thus the standard of living in a country. Sub-standard Sub-SaharaAlthough its educational system does not have the best reputation, South Africa’s literacy rate is well above average among their geographical peers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Illiteracy is still a significant global problem, and Sub-Saharan Africa is not among the leading regions when it comes to literacy and education. In 2011, 32 million children of primary school age did not go to school in that region, but projections see enrollment figures increasing in the future – if true, this could not only improve the region’s literacy rates, but also its standard of living and human progress in general.

South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 94.368 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 94.140 % for 2014. South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 92.895 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2015, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 94.368 % in 2015 and a record low of 76.200 % in 1980. South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

The youth literacy rate (people aged 15-24) in South Africa saw no significant changes in 2021 in comparison to the previous year 2019 and remained at around ** percent. With a decline of *** percentage points (***** percent), there is no significant change to 2019. The youth literacy rate refers to the share of individuals between the ages of ** and ** and who can read and write as well as understand simple expressions about their daily lives.Find more statistics on other topics about South Africa with key insights such as gross tertiary enrollment ratio, Gender Parity Index (GPI) in youth literacy, and number of children out of school.

South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data was reported at 99.229 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 99.084 % for 2014. South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 98.901 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2015, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.271 % in 2012 and a record low of 84.973 % in 1980. South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data was reported at 98.685 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 98.682 % for 2014. South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 98.389 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2015, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.685 % in 2015 and a record low of 85.346 % in 1980. South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

South Africa ZA: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data was reported at 1.006 Ratio in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.004 Ratio for 2014. South Africa ZA: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 1.007 Ratio from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2015, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.011 Ratio in 2007 and a record low of 0.996 Ratio in 1980. South Africa ZA: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for youth literacy rate is the ratio of females to males ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

In 2023, ***** percent of people aged 15 years and above in Africa were able to read and write a simple statement and understand it. Regionally, Southern Africa presented the highest literacy rate, at around ** percent. North and East Africa had similar shares of literate people, at over ** percent. In contrast, **** percent and ** percent of the adult population in Central and West Africa could read and write.

South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 95.397 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 95.287 % for 2014. South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 94.144 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2015, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 95.397 % in 2015 and a record low of 77.526 % in 1980. South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Between 2018 and 2022, Seychelles was the country with the highest adult literacy rate in Africa, at around ** percent. São Tomé and Príncipe and Namibia followed with a literacy rate of approximately ** percent and ** percent, respectively. The average rate on the continent stood at roughly ** percent. Moreover, Southern Africa had the highest literacy levels among African regions.

Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) in South Africa was reported at 91 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

According to the most recent available data, **** percent of people in the age group of 15-24 years in South Africa were able to read and write a simple statement in 2017. Among females, the youth literacy rate was at ***** percent, while males that could read and write were slightly lower at ***** percent. Both represented a drop from the level in 2007. Throughout the period reviewed, more young females were literate than young males.

In 2021, **** percent of the people aged 15 to 24 years in Africa were able to read and write a simple statement with understanding. Regionally, North Africa presented the highest youth literacy rate, at nearly ** percent. Southern Africa followed closely, with ** percent of young people literate. In contrast, ** percent of the youth population in West Africa could read and write.

Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) in South Africa was reported at 97 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 93.408 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 93.073 % for 2014. South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 91.768 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2015, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 93.408 % in 2015 and a record low of 74.807 % in 1980. South Africa ZA: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

South Africa: Male literacy rate, ages 15-24: The latest value from 2021 is 96 percent, a decline from 98 percent in 2019. In comparison, the world average is 94.32 percent, based on data from 58 countries. Historically, the average for South Africa from 1980 to 2021 is 96.06 percent. The minimum value, 85 percent, was reached in 1980 while the maximum of 99 percent was recorded in 2014.

In the past five decades, the global literacy rate among adults has grown from 67 percent in 1976 to 87.36 percent in 2023. In 1976, males had a literacy rate of 76 percent, compared to a rate of 58 percent among females. This difference of over 17 percent in 1976 has fallen to just seven percent in 2020. Although gaps in literacy rates have fallen across all regions in recent decades, significant disparities remain across much of South Asia and Africa, while the difference is below one percent in Europe and the Americas. Reasons for these differences are rooted in economic and cultural differences across the globe. In poorer societies, families with limited means are often more likely to invest in their sons' education, while their daughters take up a more domestic role. Varieties do exist on national levels, however, and female literacy levels can sometimes exceed the male rate even in impoverished nations, such as Lesotho (where the difference was over 17 percent in 2014); nonetheless, these are exceptions to the norm.

Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) in South Africa was reported at 96 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) in South Africa was reported at 90 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

The tabular and visual dataset focuses on South African basic education and provides insights into the distribution of schools and basic population statistics across the country. This tabular and visual data are stratified across different quintiles for each provincial and district boundary. The quintile system is used by the South African government to classify schools based on their level of socio-economic disadvantage, with quintile 1 being the most disadvantaged and quintile 5 being the least disadvantaged. The data was joined by extracting information from the debarment of basic education with StatsSA population census data. Thereafter, all tabular data and geo located data were transformed to maps using GIS software and the Python integrated development environment. The dataset includes information on the number of schools and students in each quintile, as well as the population density in each area. The data is displayed through a combination of charts, maps and tables, allowing for easy analysis and interpretation of the information.

Historical dataset showing South Africa literacy rate by year from 1980 to 2021.