Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) vs Thailand: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
63.56 million number
in 2019
Thailand
3.59 million number
in 2018
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) rank
27th
Thailand rank
27th

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes over time

  • Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
  • Thailand
020.0M40.0M60.0M197219952019

How they compare

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) currently reports 63.56 million number against 3.59 million number in Thailand, a difference of 59.97 million number.

That makes Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)'s figure about 17.7 times Thailand's.

Across all 7 years both countries report, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) has been ahead every year.

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 27th and Thailand ranks 27th of 39 groups.

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) Thailand Difference Ahead
1980s 52.26 million number 3.44 million number 48.82 million number Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
2000s 56.80 million number 3.43 million number 53.37 million number Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
2010s 59.19 million number 3.26 million number 55.93 million number Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) or Thailand?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), at 63.56 million number against 3.59 million number in Thailand as of 2019.
What is the difference in adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes between Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) and Thailand?
59.97 million number, with Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) and Thailand?
7 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2018.
How do Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) and Thailand rank globally for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 27th and Thailand ranks 27th of 39 groups.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) vs Thailand: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-both-sexes-number/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-excluding-high-income/thailand/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
126 places, 2,267 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of adults over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.