Malawi vs South Africa: Adult literacy

Adult literacy: 70.2% in Malawi in 2020 and 91.2% in South Africa in 2024, by UNESCO estimates.

% of adults · UNESCO

MalawiSouth AfricaWorld

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	Malawi	South Africa	World
2024	–	91.2	87.7
2023	–	–	87.6
2022	–	–	87.4
2021	–	90	87.2
2020	70.2	–	87
2019	–	95	86.8
2018	76.7	–	86.8
2017	72.8	–	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	–	–	81.4
2000	–	–	81.1
1999	–	–	80.9
1998	64.1	–	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	–	–	74.6
1989	–	–	74.1
1988	–	–	73.6
1987	48.5	–	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

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