Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa

South Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity was 0.3233 LPIA in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
0.3233 LPIA
Change on year
down 41.7%
World rank
35th
of 37 countries
All-time high
0.5665 LPIA
in 2009
All-time low
0.3233 LPIA
in 2017
Years of data
8
1996–2017

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa, 1996–2017

00.20.40.61996200620171996: 0.385 LPIA2009: 0.566 LPIA2010: 0.5 LPIA2011: 0.527 LPIA2012: 0.558 LPIA2014: 0.56 LPIA2015: 0.555 LPIA2017: 0.323 LPIA

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.

Analysis

In 2017, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa stood at 0.3233 LPIA. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 41.7% on the previous year and down 42.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa peaked at 0.5665 LPIA in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.3233 LPIA, in 2017.

That places South Africa 35th out of 37 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA) in South Africa, 1996 to 2017.
Year LPIA Change
1996 0.3847 LPIA
2009 0.5665 LPIA +47.2%
2010 0.4998 LPIA -11.8%
2011 0.5269 LPIA +5.4%
2012 0.5575 LPIA +5.8%
2014 0.5603 LPIA +0.5%
2015 0.5546 LPIA -1.0%
2017 0.3233 LPIA -41.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.3847 LPIA 0.3847 LPIA 0.3847 LPIA 1
2000s 0.5665 LPIA 0.5665 LPIA 0.5665 LPIA 1
2010s 0.5037 LPIA 0.3233 LPIA 0.5603 LPIA 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 32 Mali 0.4301 LPIA compare
  2. 33 Tunisia 0.3608 LPIA compare
  3. 34 Egypt 0.3502 LPIA compare
  4. 36 Iran 0.294 LPIA compare
  5. 37 Burkina Faso 0.1965 LPIA compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa was 0.3233 LPIA in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.5665 LPIA in 2009.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3233 LPIA in 2017.
How does South Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity?
South Africa ranks 35th out of 37 countries with data for 2017.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 42.9%. 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 Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-adjusted-location-parity-index-lpia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA)
Unit
LPIA
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
37 places, 335 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/