Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in South Africa

South Africa: Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female was 1.74 million number in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
1.74 million number
Change on year
up 145.5%
World rank
22nd
of 83 countries
All-time high
1.80 million number
in 1996
All-time low
710,653 number
in 2015
Years of data
10
1980–2017

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in South Africa, 1980–2017

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1980199820171980: 1.5M number1996: 1.8M number2007: 1.3M number2009: 885.2k number2010: 902.3k number2011: 865.9k number2012: 804.8k number2014: 739.5k number2015: 710.7k number2017: 1.7M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in South Africa is 1.74 million number, measured in 2017.

That represents a change of up 145.5% on the previous year and up 30.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in South Africa peaked at 1.80 million number in 1996 and was at its lowest, 710,653 number, in 2015.

South Africa ranks 22nd of 83 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.46 million number 1.46 million number 1.46 million number 1
1990s 1.80 million number 1.80 million number 1.80 million number 1
2000s 1.11 million number 885,176 number 1.34 million number 2
2010s 961,334 number 710,653 number 1.74 million number 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 19 Senegal 2.00 million number compare
  2. 20 Chad 1.97 million number compare
  3. 21 Thailand 1.80 million number compare
  4. 23 Benin 1.56 million number compare
  5. 24 Viet Nam 1.45 million number compare
  6. 25 Madagascar 1.43 million number compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in South Africa?
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in South Africa was 1.74 million number in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest illiterate population, 25-64 years, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.80 million number in 1996.
What is the lowest illiterate population, 25-64 years, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 710,653 number in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for illiterate population, 25-64 years, female?
South Africa ranks 22nd out of 83 countries with data for 2017.
Is illiterate population, 25-64 years, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 30.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/illiterate-population-25-64-years-female-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,240 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of females from age 25 to age 64 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.