South Africa vs Uganda
South Africa vs Uganda: Adult literacy
Adult literacy in 2024: 91.2% in South Africa and 77% in Uganda, by UNESCO estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in South Africa, by 14.1 percentage points, or 1.18 times that in Uganda.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- South Africa has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2010.
- The world as a whole: 87.7% in 2024.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | South Africa | Uganda | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 91.2 | 77 | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | 80.5 | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 90 | 79.1 | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | – | 87 |
| 2019 | 95 | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 91.7 | 69.1 | 86.3 |
| 2015 | 94.4 | – | 86 |
| 2014 | 94.1 | 68.5 | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | – | 85.2 |
| 2012 | 93.7 | 70.2 | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 93.1 | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | 92.9 | 73.2 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | 92.9 | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | 88.7 | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | 71.4 | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | 68.1 | 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 | – | 56.1 | 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
South Africa vs Uganda
Health
- Life expectancySouth Africa: 66.1 years in 2023Uganda: 68.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024Uganda: 4.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Uganda: 28.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Africa: 3.75% in 2017Uganda: 4.92% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Uganda: 11.5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023Uganda: 48.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023Uganda: 2.78% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023Uganda: 4.28 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Africa: 63.8% in 2025Uganda: 31.9% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Africa: 28.2 years in 2023Uganda: 16.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Africa: 6.5% in 2023Uganda: 2.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Uganda: -2.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSouth Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025Uganda: 1.96% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Africa: $3B in 2025Uganda: $1.2B in 2025
- Military spending per personSouth Africa: $49 in 2025Uganda: $26 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSouth Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025Uganda: 9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSouth Africa: 89,000 people in 2020Uganda: 46,000 people in 2020
- National powerSouth Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022Uganda: 0.2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020Uganda: 0.24% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025Uganda: 2 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSouth Africa: 115 million TIV in 2025Uganda: 4 million TIV in 2016