Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa

South Africa: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index was 0.9961 GPIA in 2017. ▬ Flat

Latest (2017)
0.9961 GPIA
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
29th
of 83 countries
All-time high
0.9961 GPIA
in 2017
All-time low
0.957 GPIA
in 1980
Years of data
10
1980–2017

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa, 1980–2017

00.20.40.60.811980199820171980: 0.957 GPIA1996: 0.96 GPIA2007: 0.972 GPIA2009: 0.983 GPIA2010: 0.985 GPIA2011: 0.987 GPIA2012: 0.985 GPIA2014: 0.99 GPIA2015: 0.992 GPIA2017: 0.996 GPIA

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.

Analysis

In 2017, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa stood at 0.9961 GPIA. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa peaked at 0.9961 GPIA in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.957 GPIA, in 1980.

South Africa ranks 29th of 83 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA) in South Africa, 1980 to 2017.
Year GPIA Change
1980 0.957 GPIA
1996 0.9604 GPIA +0.4%
2007 0.972 GPIA +1.2%
2009 0.9826 GPIA +1.1%
2010 0.9845 GPIA +0.2%
2011 0.9874 GPIA +0.3%
2012 0.9846 GPIA -0.3%
2014 0.9896 GPIA +0.5%
2015 0.9917 GPIA +0.2%
2017 0.9961 GPIA +0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.957 GPIA 0.957 GPIA 0.957 GPIA 1
1990s 0.9604 GPIA 0.9604 GPIA 0.9604 GPIA 1
2000s 0.9773 GPIA 0.972 GPIA 0.9826 GPIA 2
2010s 0.989 GPIA 0.9845 GPIA 0.9961 GPIA 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 26 Jordan 0.9973 GPIA compare
  2. 27 Sri Lanka 0.9971 GPIA compare
  3. 28 Albania 0.9963 GPIA compare
  4. 30 Montenegro 0.996 GPIA compare
  5. 31 Singapore 0.9959 GPIA compare
  6. 32 Paraguay 0.9932 GPIA compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa was 0.9961 GPIA in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.9961 GPIA in 2017.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.957 GPIA in 1980.
How does South Africa rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index?
South Africa ranks 29th out of 83 countries with data for 2017.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-adjusted-gender-parity-index-gpia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA)
Unit
GPIA
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,155 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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