South Africa vs United Arab Emirates: Adult literacy

Adult literacy in 2024: 91.2% in South Africa and 98.8% in United Arab Emirates, by UNESCO estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 7.7 percentage points, or 1.08 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

South AfricaUnited Arab EmiratesWorld

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2019.
The world as a whole: 87.7% in 2024.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	South Africa	United Arab Emirates	World
2024	91.2	98.8	87.7
2023	–	98.1	87.6
2022	–	98.3	87.4
2021	90	98.1	87.2
2020	–	–	87
2019	95	97.8	86.8
2018	–	–	86.8
2017	–	–	86.5
2016	91.7	–	86.3
2015	94.4	–	86
2014	94.1	–	85.6
2013	–	–	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	–	90	82.6
2004	–	–	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	–	–	75.1
1990	–	–	74.6
1989	–	–	74.1
1988	–	–	73.6
1987	–	–	71.9
1986	–	–	71.3
1985	–	71.2	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	–	53.5	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 United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSouth Africa: 0 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022