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

South Africa: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, adjusted location was 0.8447 LPIA in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
0.8447 LPIA
Change on year
down 6.9%
World rank
21st
of 35 countries
All-time high
0.9069 LPIA
in 2015
All-time low
0.7012 LPIA
in 1996
Years of data
8
1996–2017

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

00.20.40.60.811996200620171996: 0.701 LPIA2009: 0.878 LPIA2010: 0.878 LPIA2011: 0.885 LPIA2012: 0.887 LPIA2014: 0.903 LPIA2015: 0.907 LPIA2017: 0.845 LPIA

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.8447 LPIA for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, adjusted location in 2017.

That represents a change of down 6.9% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, adjusted location in South Africa peaked at 0.9069 LPIA in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.7012 LPIA, in 1996.

That places South Africa 21st out of 35 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Annual values for Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, adjusted location parity index (LPIA) in South Africa, 1996 to 2017.
Year LPIA Change
1996 0.7012 LPIA
2009 0.8777 LPIA +25.2%
2010 0.8784 LPIA +0.1%
2011 0.8849 LPIA +0.7%
2012 0.8871 LPIA +0.3%
2014 0.9028 LPIA +1.8%
2015 0.9069 LPIA +0.5%
2017 0.8447 LPIA -6.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.7012 LPIA 0.7012 LPIA 0.7012 LPIA 1
2000s 0.8777 LPIA 0.8777 LPIA 0.8777 LPIA 1
2010s 0.8841 LPIA 0.8447 LPIA 0.9069 LPIA 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 18 Mexico 0.923 LPIA compare
  2. 19 Brazil 0.8915 LPIA compare
  3. 20 Honduras 0.8477 LPIA compare
  4. 22 El Salvador 0.8397 LPIA compare
  5. 23 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 0.804 LPIA compare
  6. 24 Peru 0.8024 LPIA compare

See the full ranking of 35 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, adjusted location in South Africa?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, adjusted location in South Africa was 0.8447 LPIA in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, adjusted location recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.9069 LPIA in 2015.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, adjusted location recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7012 LPIA in 1996.
How does South Africa rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, adjusted location?
South Africa ranks 21st out of 35 countries with data for 2017.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, adjusted location rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. 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, female, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, adjusted location in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-female-adjusted-location-parity-index-lpia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female, adjusted location parity index (LPIA)
Unit
LPIA
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
35 places, 326 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/