According to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), the country has seen a substantial decline in the geographical concentration of adult illiteracy since 1996. Stats SA compared Census 1996 and Census 2022 data to examine how adult illiteracy among people aged 20 and older was distributed across the country. The analysis used educational attainment as a proxy for functional literacy, classifying people aged 20 and older with no formal education or whose highest educational attainment was below Grade 7 as functionally illiterate.
The 1996 data showed that the country's most prominent hot spot was concentrated in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly around Umkhanyakude in the north-east of the province. This area had significant clustering at the 99% confidence level, representing the strongest concentration of adult illiteracy in the country. Surrounding areas, including Zululand, King Cetshwayo, Umzinyathi, and parts of Harry Gwala and uMgungundlovu, also recorded significant clustering, creating a broad zone of elevated adult illiteracy across much of KwaZulu-Natal.
In contrast, significant cold spots of low illiteracy were concentrated in Gauteng and adjoining districts, extending into parts of North West, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga, while additional areas of low illiteracy were identified in the Western Cape. These areas formed a corridor of higher illiteracy extending along sections of South Africa's eastern seaboard. By 2022, the geographical concentration of adult illiteracy had declined, though significant disparities remained.
Stats SA found that Umkhanyakude continued to stand out as the country's most persistent hot spot, but the size and intensity of the cluster had diminished. By 2022, this hot spot remained visible but had become smaller and less intense, with the strongest clustering occurring at the 95% confidence level. This showed that while north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal remained the country's main concentration of adult illiteracy, the geographical extent of the hot spot had contracted considerably.
The 2022 data also showed a more visible concentration of elevated illiteracy in parts of the Eastern Cape. Together with districts in eastern KwaZulu-Natal, these areas formed a corridor of higher illiteracy extending along sections of South Africa's eastern seaboard. At the other end of the spectrum, Gauteng and Western Cape continued to have the strongest clusters of relatively low adult illiteracy.
Another significant change was an increase in areas that could no longer be classified as statistically significant hot spots or cold spots. By 2022, substantial portions of Northern Cape, Free State, North West, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo, as well as sections of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, fell into this category. This indicated that adult illiteracy had become less geographically concentrated in many parts of the country.
Despite the improvement, regional disparities remain evident more than two decades later. Stats SA said that the overall extent of high-illiteracy clustering declined substantially between 1996 and 2022. The north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal remained the country's most persistent hot spot, while Gauteng and Western Cape continued to form the strongest cold spots of low illiteracy.
Key points
- North-eastern KwaZulu-Natal remains the country's most persistent concentration of adult illiteracy.
- Gauteng and Western Cape continue to record clusters of lower illiteracy.
- The geographical concentration of adult illiteracy has declined substantially since 1996.
