South Africa Literacy Rate 1980-2024
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.
- South Africa literacy rate for 2021 was 90.00%, a 5.02% decline from 2019.
- South Africa literacy rate for 2019 was 95.02%, a 7.98% increase from 2017.
- South Africa literacy rate for 2017 was 87.05%, a 7.32% decline from 2015.
- South Africa literacy rate for 2015 was 94.37%, a 0.23% increase from 2014.
| South Africa Literacy Rate - Historical Data |
| Year |
Literacy Rate |
Annual Change |
| 2021 |
90.00% |
-5.02% |
| 2019 |
95.02% |
7.98% |
| 2017 |
87.05% |
-7.32% |
| 2015 |
94.37% |
0.23% |
| 2014 |
94.14% |
0.41% |
| 2012 |
93.73% |
0.63% |
| 2011 |
93.10% |
0.22% |
| 2010 |
92.88% |
-0.02% |
| 2009 |
92.89% |
4.18% |
| 2007 |
88.72% |
6.32% |
| 1996 |
82.40% |
6.20% |
| 1980 |
76.20% |
6.20% |
