Education · Southern Africa
South Africa Adult Literacy Rate
91.2%as of 2024+1.3% vs 2021
Share of people ages 15 and over who can read and write. Source: UNESCO UIS. Updated May 10, 2026.
Trend
History
| Period | Adult Literacy Rate |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 91.2% |
| 2021 | 90% |
| 2019 | 95% |
| 2016 | 91.7% |
| 2015 | 94.4% |
| 2014 | 94.1% |
| 2012 | 93.7% |
| 2011 | 93.1% |
| 2010 | 92.9% |
| 2009 | 92.9% |
| 2007 | 88.7% |
Get this via API
The series above is served by the /v1/data endpoint. With a free key you get JSON for every country and indicator on this site.
curl "https://api.africa-api.com/v1/data?country_code=ZA&metric_key=adult_literacy_pct" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $AFRICA_API_KEY"Adult Literacy Rate across Africa
Rank all 54 ->| Country | Adult Literacy Rate |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 70.4% |
| Kenya | 82.2% |
| Egypt | 79.5% |
| Ghana | 76.5% |
| Ethiopia | 60.5% |
| Tanzania | 78.2% |
Frequently asked questions
What is South Africa's adult literacy rate?
South Africa's adult literacy rate is 91.2% as of 2024, according to UNESCO UIS.
What is the source for this figure?
The figure comes from UNESCO UIS and is republished by the Africa API with the retrieval date shown on this page.
How do I get South Africa Adult Literacy Rate data via API?
Call GET /v1/data?country_code=ZA&metric_key=adult_literacy_pct with a free Africa API key to receive the full time series as JSON.
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