adminZimbabwe National Statistics Agency has revealed.
The literacy rate is defined as the number of people, who have completed at least grade three per 100 percent of a particular age category.
The revelation comes against the positive trend that had seen the country registering a positive 97 percent in 2002 from 86.1 percent in 1992.
The report attributed the negative change to economic challenges facing the country.
“Literacy levels in Zimbabwe could have declined due to the economic hardships experienced in the country from the year 2000 to 2008 as some children were not attending school during that time,” the report stated.
Males registered higher literacy rates compared to females in both urban and rural areas with females in rural areas having lower rates of 84,1 percent compared to females in urban areas who had 96,3 percent.
Males in rural areas had lower rates of 92,3 percent compared to their urban counterparts who had 98,1 percent. ZIMSTAT conducted the survey from June 2011 to May 2012, covering information on demography, household incomes and expenditure, distribution of income at household level, agricultural production and other characteristics.
Online Reporter