Indonesia vs South Africa: Adult literacy

Adult literacy: 96% in Indonesia in 2020 and 91.2% in South Africa in 2024, by UNESCO estimates. In 2016 the value was higher in Indonesia, by 3.6 percentage points, or 1.04 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

IndonesiaSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

Indonesia has been higher since 2014, when it overtook South Africa.
The world as a whole: 86.3% in 2016.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	Indonesia	South Africa	World
2024	–	91.2	87.7
2023	–	–	87.6
2022	–	–	87.4
2021	–	90	87.2
2020	96	–	87
2019	–	95	86.8
2018	95.7	–	86.8
2017	–	–	86.5
2016	95.4	91.7	86.3
2015	95.2	94.4	86
2014	95.1	94.1	85.6
2013	–	–	85.2
2012	–	93.7	84.9
2011	92.8	93.1	84.7
2010	92.3	92.9	84.4
2009	92.6	92.9	83.8
2008	92.2	–	83.5
2007	–	88.7	83.1
2006	92	–	82.5
2005	–	–	82.6
2004	90.4	–	82.6
2003	–	–	82.2
2002	–	–	81.7
2001	–	–	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	–	–	75.1
1990	81.5	–	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	67.3	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

Indonesia vs South Africa: Adult literacy

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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