Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity was 0.8148 GPIA in 2019. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1985–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 0.8148 GPIA for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in 2019. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 0.8148 GPIA in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.6337 GPIA, in 1985.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 30th of 37 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.6337 GPIA | — |
| 1986 | 0.6378 GPIA | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 0.6441 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 0.6515 GPIA | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 0.6547 GPIA | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 0.6621 GPIA | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 0.6739 GPIA | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 0.6709 GPIA | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 0.6771 GPIA | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 0.6848 GPIA | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 0.6923 GPIA | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 0.701 GPIA | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 0.7112 GPIA | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 0.7154 GPIA | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 0.7215 GPIA | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 0.7119 GPIA | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 0.7192 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 0.7088 GPIA | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 0.7188 GPIA | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 0.7183 GPIA | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 0.721 GPIA | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 0.755 GPIA | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 0.7291 GPIA | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 0.7364 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 0.7369 GPIA | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.7437 GPIA | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 0.7588 GPIA | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 0.7668 GPIA | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 0.7735 GPIA | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 0.7797 GPIA | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 0.7881 GPIA | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 0.7972 GPIA | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 0.8042 GPIA | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 0.8101 GPIA | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 0.8148 GPIA | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.6444 GPIA | 0.6337 GPIA | 0.6547 GPIA | 5 |
| 1990s | 0.691 GPIA | 0.6621 GPIA | 0.7215 GPIA | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7255 GPIA | 0.7088 GPIA | 0.755 GPIA | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7837 GPIA | 0.7437 GPIA | 0.8148 GPIA | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 27 Greece 0.9887 GPIA compare
- 28 Panama 0.9887 GPIA compare
- 29 Montenegro 0.9881 GPIA compare
- 30 South Africa 0.9861 GPIA compare
- 31 Mexico 0.9831 GPIA compare
- 32 Brunei Darussalam 0.9821 GPIA compare
- 33 Ecuador 0.9819 GPIA compare
More reference data data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 15.80 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 6.17 years (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 16.21 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 32.02 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, female 6.02 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, male 6.33 years (2019)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 94.2% (2018)
- School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes 0.7795 years (2019)
- Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, adjusted gender parity 0.7648 GPIA (2018)
- Teachers in primary education, male 2.57 million number (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 0.8148 GPIA in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8148 GPIA in 2019.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6337 GPIA in 1985.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 30th out of 37 groups with data for 2019.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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/