Colombia vs South Africa: Adult literacy

Adult literacy in 2024: 95.3% in Colombia and 91.2% in South Africa, by UNESCO estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Colombia, by 4.2 percentage points, or 1.05 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

ColombiaSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

Colombia has been higher since 2016, when it overtook South Africa.
The world as a whole: 87.7% in 2024.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	Colombia	South Africa	World
2024	95.3	91.2	87.7
2023	95.5	–	87.6
2022	95.3	–	87.4
2021	95.7	90	87.2
2020	95.6	–	87
2019	95.3	95	86.8
2018	95.1	–	86.8
2017	94.9	–	86.5
2016	94.7	91.7	86.3
2015	94.3	94.4	86
2014	94.2	94.1	85.6
2013	–	–	85.2
2012	–	93.7	84.9
2011	93.6	93.1	84.7
2010	93.4	92.9	84.4
2009	93.2	92.9	83.8
2008	93.4	–	83.5
2007	92.7	88.7	83.1
2006	92.3	–	82.5
2005	92.9	–	82.6
2004	92.8	–	82.6
2003	–	–	82.2
2002	–	–	81.7
2001	–	–	81.4
2000	–	–	81.1
1999	–	–	80.9
1998	–	–	80.5
1997	–	–	79.3
1996	91.2	82.4	77.3
1995	–	–	76.9
1994	–	–	76.4
1993	91.1	–	76
1992	–	–	75.5
1991	–	–	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	–	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

Colombia vs South Africa: Adult literacy

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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