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

South Africa: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, adjusted gender parity was 1 GPIA in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
1 GPIA
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
8th
of 35 countries
All-time high
1 GPIA
in 2017
All-time low
0.921 GPIA
in 1996
Years of data
8
1996–2017

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

00.250.50.7511996200620171996: 0.921 GPIA2009: 0.971 GPIA2010: 0.969 GPIA2011: 0.977 GPIA2012: 0.97 GPIA2014: 0.976 GPIA2015: 0.986 GPIA2017: 1 GPIA

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 1 GPIA for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, adjusted gender parity in 2017. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.

The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, adjusted gender parity in South Africa peaked at 1 GPIA in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.921 GPIA, in 1996.

That places South Africa 8th out of 35 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Annual values for Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA) in South Africa, 1996 to 2017.
Year GPIA Change
1996 0.921 GPIA
2009 0.9712 GPIA +5.5%
2010 0.9687 GPIA -0.3%
2011 0.9766 GPIA +0.8%
2012 0.9702 GPIA -0.7%
2014 0.9756 GPIA +0.6%
2015 0.9857 GPIA +1.0%
2017 1 GPIA +1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.921 GPIA 0.921 GPIA 0.921 GPIA 1
2000s 0.9712 GPIA 0.9712 GPIA 0.9712 GPIA 1
2010s 0.9798 GPIA 0.9687 GPIA 1 GPIA 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 5 Dominican Republic 1.01 GPIA compare
  2. 6 Uruguay 1.01 GPIA compare
  3. 7 Chile 1.01 GPIA compare
  4. 9 Greece 1 GPIA compare
  5. 10 Republic of Moldova 1 GPIA compare
  6. 11 Spain 0.9993 GPIA 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, rural, adjusted gender parity in South Africa?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, adjusted gender parity in South Africa was 1 GPIA in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, adjusted gender parity recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1 GPIA in 2017.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, adjusted gender parity recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.921 GPIA in 1996.
How does South Africa rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, adjusted gender parity?
South Africa ranks 8th out of 35 countries with data for 2017.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, adjusted gender parity rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. 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, rural, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, adjusted gender parity 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-rural-adjusted-gender-parity-index-gpia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA)
Unit
GPIA
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 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/