Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa

South Africa: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity was 0.8471 LPIA in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
0.8471 LPIA
Change on year
down 7.1%
World rank
25th
of 38 countries
All-time high
0.9116 LPIA
in 2014
All-time low
0.7858 LPIA
in 1996
Years of data
8
1996–2017

Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa, 1996–2017

00.20.40.60.811996200620171996: 0.786 LPIA2009: 0.9 LPIA2010: 0.897 LPIA2011: 0.902 LPIA2012: 0.903 LPIA2014: 0.912 LPIA2015: 0.911 LPIA2017: 0.847 LPIA

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.

Analysis

In 2017, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa stood at 0.8471 LPIA.

That represents a change of down 7.1% on the previous year and down 5.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa peaked at 0.9116 LPIA in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.7858 LPIA, in 1996.

That places South Africa 25th out of 38 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.

Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA) in South Africa, 1996 to 2017.
Year LPIA Change
1996 0.7858 LPIA
2009 0.9002 LPIA +14.6%
2010 0.8969 LPIA -0.4%
2011 0.9022 LPIA +0.6%
2012 0.9028 LPIA +0.1%
2014 0.9116 LPIA +1.0%
2015 0.9114 LPIA -0.0%
2017 0.8471 LPIA -7.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.7858 LPIA 0.7858 LPIA 0.7858 LPIA 1
2000s 0.9002 LPIA 0.9002 LPIA 0.9002 LPIA 1
2010s 0.8953 LPIA 0.8471 LPIA 0.9116 LPIA 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 22 Brazil 0.8695 LPIA compare
  2. 23 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 0.8688 LPIA compare
  3. 24 Honduras 0.8594 LPIA compare
  4. 26 Cambodia 0.8433 LPIA compare
  5. 27 Bangladesh 0.832 LPIA compare
  6. 28 Iran, Islamic Republic of 0.8257 LPIA compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa?
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa was 0.8471 LPIA in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.9116 LPIA in 2014.
What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7858 LPIA in 1996.
How does South Africa rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity?
South Africa ranks 25th out of 38 countries with data for 2017.
Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/adult-literacy-rate-population-15-years-adjusted-location-parity-index-lpia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA)
Unit
LPIA
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
38 places, 341 data points, 1976–2019
Last refreshed

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