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

South Africa: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index was 0.8445 LPIA in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
0.8445 LPIA
Change on year
down 7.4%
World rank
24th
of 36 countries
All-time high
0.9128 LPIA
in 2014
All-time low
0.7266 LPIA
in 1996
Years of data
8
1996–2017

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index in South Africa, 1996–2017

00.20.40.60.811996200620171996: 0.727 LPIA2009: 0.887 LPIA2010: 0.89 LPIA2011: 0.893 LPIA2012: 0.898 LPIA2014: 0.913 LPIA2015: 0.912 LPIA2017: 0.845 LPIA

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.8445 LPIA for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index in 2017.

That represents a change of down 7.4% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index in South Africa peaked at 0.9128 LPIA in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.7266 LPIA, in 1996.

That places South Africa 24th out of 36 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Annual values for Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA) in South Africa, 1996 to 2017.
Year LPIA Change
1996 0.7266 LPIA
2009 0.8868 LPIA +22.0%
2010 0.8898 LPIA +0.3%
2011 0.8933 LPIA +0.4%
2012 0.8975 LPIA +0.5%
2014 0.9128 LPIA +1.7%
2015 0.9122 LPIA -0.1%
2017 0.8445 LPIA -7.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.7266 LPIA 0.7266 LPIA 0.7266 LPIA 1
2000s 0.8868 LPIA 0.8868 LPIA 0.8868 LPIA 1
2010s 0.8917 LPIA 0.8445 LPIA 0.9128 LPIA 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 21 Peru 0.8777 LPIA compare
  2. 22 Brazil 0.8668 LPIA compare
  3. 23 El Salvador 0.8559 LPIA compare
  4. 25 Honduras 0.8371 LPIA compare
  5. 26 Iran 0.824 LPIA compare
  6. 27 Cambodia 0.8079 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 literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index in South Africa?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index in South Africa was 0.8445 LPIA in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.9128 LPIA in 2014.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7266 LPIA in 1996.
How does South Africa rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index?
South Africa ranks 24th out of 36 countries with data for 2017.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. 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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted location parity index in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-adjusted-location-parity-index-lpia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, 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/