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

South Africa: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female, adjusted location was 0.841 LPIA in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
0.841 LPIA
Change on year
down 6.0%
World rank
22nd
of 36 countries
All-time high
0.8943 LPIA
in 2015
All-time low
0.7625 LPIA
in 1996
Years of data
8
1996–2017

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

00.20.40.60.81996200620171996: 0.763 LPIA2009: 0.886 LPIA2010: 0.878 LPIA2011: 0.885 LPIA2012: 0.884 LPIA2014: 0.893 LPIA2015: 0.894 LPIA2017: 0.841 LPIA

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.

Analysis

In 2017, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female, adjusted location in South Africa stood at 0.841 LPIA.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.0% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female, adjusted location in South Africa peaked at 0.8943 LPIA in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.7625 LPIA, in 1996.

That places South Africa 22nd out of 36 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Annual values for Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female, adjusted location parity index (LPIA) in South Africa, 1996 to 2017.
Year LPIA Change
1996 0.7625 LPIA
2009 0.886 LPIA +16.2%
2010 0.8777 LPIA -0.9%
2011 0.8847 LPIA +0.8%
2012 0.884 LPIA -0.1%
2014 0.8927 LPIA +1.0%
2015 0.8943 LPIA +0.2%
2017 0.841 LPIA -6.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.7625 LPIA 0.7625 LPIA 0.7625 LPIA 1
2000s 0.886 LPIA 0.886 LPIA 0.886 LPIA 1
2010s 0.8791 LPIA 0.841 LPIA 0.8943 LPIA 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 19 Brazil 0.8883 LPIA compare
  2. 20 Honduras 0.8701 LPIA compare
  3. 21 El Salvador 0.8693 LPIA compare
  4. 23 Bangladesh 0.8212 LPIA compare
  5. 24 Peru 0.8151 LPIA compare
  6. 25 Cambodia 0.8105 LPIA compare

See the full ranking of 36 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female, adjusted location in South Africa?
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female, adjusted location in South Africa was 0.841 LPIA in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female, adjusted location recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.8943 LPIA in 2015.
What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female, adjusted location recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7625 LPIA in 1996.
How does South Africa rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female, adjusted location?
South Africa ranks 22nd out of 36 countries with data for 2017.
Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female, adjusted location rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. 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, female, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female, adjusted location in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/adult-literacy-rate-population-15-years-female-adjusted-location-parity-index-lpia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female, adjusted location parity index (LPIA)
Unit
LPIA
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
36 places, 331 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/