Saudi Arabia vs South Africa: Adult literacy

Adult literacy in 2024: 97.9% in Saudi Arabia and 91.2% in South Africa, by UNESCO estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 6.8 percentage points, or 1.07 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

Saudi ArabiaSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

Saudi Arabia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2024.
The world as a whole: 87.7% in 2024.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	Saudi Arabia	South Africa	World
2024	97.9	91.2	87.7
2023	–	–	87.6
2022	–	–	87.4
2021	–	90	87.2
2020	97.6	–	87
2019	–	95	86.8
2018	–	–	86.8
2017	95.3	–	86.5
2016	–	91.7	86.3
2015	–	94.4	86
2014	–	94.1	85.6
2013	94.4	–	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	82.9	–	82.6
2003	–	–	82.2
2002	–	–	81.7
2001	–	–	81.4
2000	79.4	–	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	70.8	–	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

Saudi Arabia vs South Africa

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSaudi Arabia: 31 deaths in 2022South Africa: 0 deaths in 2022