South Africa vs Thailand: Adult literacy

Adult literacy: 91.2% in South Africa in 2024 and 91.1% in Thailand in 2022, by UNESCO estimates. In 2019 the value was higher in South Africa, by 3.8 percentage points, or 1.04 times that in Thailand.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

South AfricaThailandWorld

What the numbers say

South Africa has been higher since 2019, when it overtook Thailand.
The world as a whole: 86.8% in 2019.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	South Africa	Thailand	World
2024	91.2	–	87.7
2023	–	–	87.6
2022	–	91.1	87.4
2021	90	–	87.2
2020	–	–	87
2019	95	91.3	86.8
2018	–	93.8	86.8
2017	–	–	86.5
2016	91.7	92	86.3
2015	94.4	92.9	86
2014	94.1	–	85.6
2013	–	93.7	85.2
2012	93.7	–	84.9
2011	93.1	–	84.7
2010	92.9	96.4	84.4
2009	92.9	–	83.8
2008	–	–	83.5
2007	88.7	–	83.1
2006	–	–	82.5
2005	–	93.5	82.6
2004	–	–	82.6
2003	–	–	82.2
2002	–	–	81.7
2001	–	–	81.4
2000	–	92.7	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	–	–	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	88	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

South Africa vs Thailand: Adult literacy

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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