Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity in South Africa

South Africa: Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity was 0.9657 LPIA in 2017. ▬ Flat

Latest (2017)
0.9657 LPIA
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
26th
of 38 countries
All-time high
0.9942 LPIA
in 2011
All-time low
0.9403 LPIA
in 1996
Years of data
8
1996–2017

Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity in South Africa, 1996–2017

00.20.40.60.811996200620171996: 0.94 LPIA2009: 0.988 LPIA2010: 0.989 LPIA2011: 0.994 LPIA2012: 0.988 LPIA2014: 0.991 LPIA2015: 0.99 LPIA2017: 0.966 LPIA

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.

Analysis

In 2017, youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity in South Africa stood at 0.9657 LPIA.

That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity in South Africa peaked at 0.9942 LPIA in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.9403 LPIA, in 1996.

South Africa ranks 26th of 38 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA) in South Africa, 1996 to 2017.
Year LPIA Change
1996 0.9403 LPIA
2009 0.9882 LPIA +5.1%
2010 0.9893 LPIA +0.1%
2011 0.9942 LPIA +0.5%
2012 0.9883 LPIA -0.6%
2014 0.991 LPIA +0.3%
2015 0.9902 LPIA -0.1%
2017 0.9657 LPIA -2.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.9403 LPIA 0.9403 LPIA 0.9403 LPIA 1
2000s 0.9882 LPIA 0.9882 LPIA 0.9882 LPIA 1
2010s 0.9864 LPIA 0.9657 LPIA 0.9942 LPIA 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 23 El Salvador 0.9852 LPIA compare
  2. 24 Kuwait 0.9814 LPIA compare
  3. 25 Iran, Islamic Republic of 0.9769 LPIA compare
  4. 27 Honduras 0.9571 LPIA compare
  5. 28 Guatemala 0.9522 LPIA compare
  6. 29 Tunisia 0.9405 LPIA compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity in South Africa?
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity in South Africa was 0.9657 LPIA in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.9942 LPIA in 2011.
What is the lowest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.9403 LPIA in 1996.
How does South Africa rank for youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity?
South Africa ranks 26th out of 38 countries with data for 2017.
Is youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. 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 Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/youth-literacy-rate-population-15-24-years-adjusted-location-parity-index-lpia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA)
Unit
LPIA
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
38 places, 341 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/