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South Africa Highest Literacy Rate

95.02% in 2019
Adult literacy rate · World Bank

The highest literacy rate in South Africa was 95.02% in 2019. The top 5 years were: 2019 (95.02%), 2015 (94.37%), 2014 (94.14%), 2012 (93.73%), 2011 (93.10%).

Top 5 Highest Years
South Africa Top 5 Highest Literacy Rate Years
RankYearValue
1st 2019 95.02%
2nd 2015 94.37%
3rd 2014 94.14%
4th 2012 93.73%
5th 2011 93.10%
All Data (sorted by value)
YearValueChangeRank
2019 95.02% +3.28pp 22nd
2015 94.37% +0.23pp 16th
2014 94.14% +0.41pp 17th
2012 93.73% +0.63pp 16th
2011 93.10% +0.22pp 31st
2010 92.88% −0.01pp 21st
2009 92.89% +4.17pp 15th
2025 90.57% −0.58pp 34th
2024 91.15% +1.15pp 14th
2016 91.74% −2.63pp 27th
2021 90.00% −5.02pp 22nd
2007 88.72% +6.32pp 18th
1996 82.40% +6.20pp 5th
1980 76.20% 13th