Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in South Africa

South Africa: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female was 874,905 number in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
874,905 number
Change on year
up 66.5%
World rank
15th
of 82 countries
All-time high
874,905 number
in 2017
All-time low
267,936 number
in 1980
Years of data
10
1980–2017

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in South Africa, 1980–2017

200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1980199820171980: 267.9k number1996: 541.8k number2007: 660.5k number2009: 507.5k number2010: 532.6k number2011: 532.9k number2012: 527.3k number2014: 530.8k number2015: 525.5k number2017: 874.9k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 874,905 number for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in 2017. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.

The figure is up 66.5% on the previous year and up 32.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in South Africa peaked at 874,905 number in 2017 and was at its lowest, 267,936 number, in 1980.

South Africa ranks 15th of 82 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female (number) in South Africa, 1980 to 2017.
Year number Change
1980 267,936 number
1996 541,793 number +102.2%
2007 660,462 number +21.9%
2009 507,483 number -23.2%
2010 532,630 number +5.0%
2011 532,942 number +0.1%
2012 527,260 number -1.1%
2014 530,766 number +0.7%
2015 525,495 number -1.0%
2017 874,905 number +66.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 267,936 number 267,936 number 267,936 number 1
1990s 541,793 number 541,793 number 541,793 number 1
2000s 583,972 number 507,483 number 660,462 number 2
2010s 587,333 number 525,495 number 874,905 number 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 12 Algeria 1.10 million number compare
  2. 13 Thailand 1.09 million number compare
  3. 14 Morocco 1.09 million number compare
  4. 16 Viet Nam 834,804 number compare
  5. 17 Nepal 799,830 number compare
  6. 18 Tanzania, United Republic of 538,081 number compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in South Africa?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in South Africa was 874,905 number in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 874,905 number in 2017.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 267,936 number in 1980.
How does South Africa rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female?
South Africa ranks 15th out of 82 countries with data for 2017.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 32.5%. 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 Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-female-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
121 places, 2,221 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of females over age 65 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.