South Africa vs Spain: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 91.2% in South Africa in 2024 and 99.7% in Spain in 2021, by UNESCO estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Spain, by 9.7 percentage points, or 1.11 times that in South Africa.
South AfricaSpain
Watch it change on the mapChange since 2007, percentage points · UNESCO
Latest figures
% of adults · UNESCO
| Country | Latest | 10 years before |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 91.2 2024 | 94.1 |
| Spain | 99.7 2021 | 97.8 |
| World | 87.7 2024 | 85.6 |
What the numbers say
- Spain has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2007.
- The world as a whole: 87.2% in 2021.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | South Africa | Spain | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 91.2 | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 90 | 99.7 | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | 98.6 | 87 |
| 2019 | 95 | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | 98.4 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 91.7 | 98.3 | 86.3 |
| 2015 | 94.4 | 98.1 | 86 |
| 2014 | 94.1 | 98.1 | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | 98.1 | 85.2 |
| 2012 | 93.7 | 97.9 | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 93.1 | 97.8 | 84.7 |
| 2010 | 92.9 | 97.8 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | 92.9 | 97.7 | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | 97.6 | 83.5 |
| 2007 | 88.7 | 97.9 | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | 97.8 | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | 97.8 | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | 97.2 | 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 | – | 96.5 | 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 | – | 92.8 | 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