Argentina vs South Africa: Adult literacy

Adult literacy: 99.1% in Argentina in 2020 and 91.2% in South Africa in 2024, by UNESCO estimates. In 1980 the value was higher in Argentina, by 17.7 percentage points, or 1.23 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

ArgentinaSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

Argentina has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1980.
The world as a whole: 67.8% in 1980.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	Argentina	South Africa	World
2024	–	91.2	87.7
2023	–	–	87.6
2022	–	–	87.4
2021	–	90	87.2
2020	99.1	–	87
2019	–	95	86.8
2018	–	–	86.8
2017	–	–	86.5
2016	–	91.7	86.3
2015	–	94.4	86
2014	–	94.1	85.6
2013	–	–	85.2
2012	–	93.7	84.9
2011	–	93.1	84.7
2010	–	92.9	84.4
2009	–	92.9	83.8
2008	–	–	83.5
2007	–	88.7	83.1
2006	–	–	82.5
2005	–	–	82.6
2004	–	–	82.6
2003	–	–	82.2
2002	–	–	81.7
2001	97.2	–	81.4
2000	–	–	81.1
1999	–	–	80.9
1998	–	–	80.5
1997	–	–	79.3
1996	–	82.4	77.3
1995	–	–	76.9
1994	–	–	76.4
1993	–	–	76
1992	–	–	75.5
1991	96	–	75.1
1990	–	–	74.6
1989	–	–	74.1
1988	–	–	73.6
1987	–	–	71.9
1986	–	–	71.3
1985	–	–	70.7
1984	–	–	70.2
1983	–	–	69.5
1982	–	–	68.9
1981	–	–	68.4
1980	93.9	76.2	67.8
1979	–	–	67.2
1978	–	–	66.5
1977	–	–	65.9
1976	–	–	65.6
1975	–	–	65.4

Each country on its own

Good to know

The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Argentina vs South Africa: Adult literacy

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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