Nigeria vs South Africa
Nigeria vs South Africa: Adult literacy
Adult literacy in 2024: 70.4% in Nigeria and 91.2% in South Africa, by UNESCO estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in South Africa, by 20.7 percentage points, or 1.29 times that in Nigeria.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- South Africa has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2016.
- The world as a whole: 87.7% in 2024.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Nigeria | South Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 70.4 | 91.2 | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 63.2 | 90 | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | – | 87 |
| 2019 | – | 95 | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 58.2 | 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 | 70.2 | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | 54.8 | – | 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 | 55.5 | – | 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
Nigeria vs South Africa
Health
- Life expectancyNigeria: 54.5 years in 2023South Africa: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024South Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionNigeria: 3.92% in 2017South Africa: 3.75% in 2017
- Suicide rateNigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017South Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNigeria: 228 million people in 2023South Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023
- Population growthNigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023South Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023South Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNigeria: 63.8% in 2025South Africa: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageNigeria: 17.8 years in 2023South Africa: 28.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNigeria: 3% in 2023South Africa: 6.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateNigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023South Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingNigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025South Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsNigeria: $1.76B in 2025South Africa: $3B in 2025
- Military spending per personNigeria: $9 in 2025South Africa: $49 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingNigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025South Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNigeria: 223,000 people in 2020South Africa: 89,000 people in 2020
- National powerNigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022South Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020South Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025South Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsNigeria: 4 million TIV in 2022South Africa: 115 million TIV in 2025