South Africa vs Vietnam: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 91.2% in South Africa in 2024 and 96.1% in Vietnam in 2022, by UNESCO estimates. In 2019 the value was higher in Vietnam, by 0.7 percentage points, or 1.01 times that in South Africa.
South AfricaVietnam
Watch it change on the map% of adults · UNESCO · log scale
Latest figures
% of adults · UNESCO
| Country | Latest | 10 years before |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 91.2 2024 | 94.1 |
| Vietnam | 96.1 2022 | — |
| World | 87.7 2024 | 85.6 |
What the numbers say
- Vietnam has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2009.
- The world as a whole: 86.8% in 2019.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | South Africa | Vietnam | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 91.2 | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | 96.1 | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 90 | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | – | 87 |
| 2019 | 95 | 95.8 | 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 | 93.5 | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | 88.7 | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | 90.2 | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | 90.3 | 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 | – | 87.6 | 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 | – | 83.8 | 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