Philippines vs South Africa: Adult literacy

Adult literacy: 98.5% in Philippines in 2020 and 91.2% in South Africa in 2024, by UNESCO estimates. In 2019 the value was higher in Philippines, by 1.3 percentage points, or 1.01 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

PhilippinesSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

Philippines has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1980.
The world as a whole: 86.8% in 2019.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	Philippines	South Africa	World
2024	–	91.2	87.7
2023	–	–	87.6
2022	–	–	87.4
2021	–	90	87.2
2020	98.5	–	87
2019	96.3	95	86.8
2018	–	–	86.8
2017	–	–	86.5
2016	–	91.7	86.3
2015	98.2	94.4	86
2014	–	94.1	85.6
2013	96.4	–	85.2
2012	–	93.7	84.9
2011	–	93.1	84.7
2010	97.1	92.9	84.4
2009	–	92.9	83.8
2008	95.4	–	83.5
2007	–	88.7	83.1
2006	–	–	82.5
2005	–	–	82.6
2004	–	–	82.6
2003	92.6	–	82.2
2002	–	–	81.7
2001	–	–	81.4
2000	92.6	–	81.1
1999	–	–	80.9
1998	–	–	80.5
1997	–	–	79.3
1996	–	82.4	77.3
1995	–	–	76.9
1994	93.9	–	76.4
1993	–	–	76
1992	–	–	75.5
1991	–	–	75.1
1990	93.6	–	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	83.3	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

Philippines vs South Africa

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsPhilippines: 194 deaths in 2022South Africa: 0 deaths in 2022