South Africa vs South Asia: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity

South Africa
0.9861 GPIA
in 2017
South Asia
0.8 GPIA
in 2019
South Africa rank
30th
South Asia rank
32nd

Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity over time

  • South Africa
  • South Asia
00.20.40.60.81197519972019

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 0.9861 GPIA against 0.8 GPIA in South Asia, a difference of 0.1861 GPIA.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times South Asia's.

Across all 10 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

South Africa ranks 30th and South Asia ranks 32nd of 87 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa South Asia Difference Ahead
1980s 0.9649 GPIA 0.4684 GPIA 0.4965 GPIA South Africa
1990s 0.9626 GPIA 0.5944 GPIA 0.3682 GPIA South Africa
2000s 0.9672 GPIA 0.6921 GPIA 0.2751 GPIA South Africa
2010s 0.978 GPIA 0.7611 GPIA 0.2169 GPIA South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity, South Africa or South Asia?
South Africa, at 0.9861 GPIA against 0.8 GPIA in South Asia as of 2017.
What is the difference in adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity between South Africa and South Asia?
0.1861 GPIA, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and South Asia?
10 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2017.
How do South Africa and South Asia rank globally for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity?
South Africa ranks 30th and South Asia ranks 32nd of 87 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs South Asia: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/adult-literacy-rate-population-15-years-adjusted-gender-parity-index-gpia/south-africa/south-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA)
Unit
GPIA
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
124 places, 2,183 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

The Adjusted Gender Parity Index (GPIA) is calculated by dividing the female value for the indicator by the male value for the indicator. If the resulting value exceeds 1, the ratio is inverted and subtracted from 2. The adjusted gender parity index is symmetrical around 1 and lies in the range 0-2. An adjusted GPI equal to 1 indicates parity between females and males. In general, a value less than 1 indicates disparity in favor of males and a value greater than 1 indicates disparity in favor of females. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute for Statistics: http://uis.unesco.org/