Kuwait vs Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Literacy rate, adult total

Kuwait
96.5%
in 2020
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
75.6%
in 2024
Kuwait rank
28th
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank
27th

Literacy rate, adult total over time

  • Kuwait
  • Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
020406080100197319982024

How they compare

Kuwait currently reports 96.5% against 75.6% in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, a difference of 20.9%.

That makes Kuwait's figure about 1.3 times Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan's.

Across all 15 years both countries report, Kuwait has been ahead every year.

Kuwait ranks 28th and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 27th of 89 countries.

Kuwait has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Kuwait Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan Difference Ahead
1970s 59.6% 39.2% 20.3% Kuwait
1980s 71.0% 43.8% 27.2% Kuwait
1990s 78.4% 56.2% 22.2% Kuwait
2000s 93.5% 67.2% 26.4% Kuwait
2010s 95.6% 71.8% 23.7% Kuwait
2020s 96.5% 73.5% 23.0% Kuwait

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher literacy rate, adult total, Kuwait or Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Kuwait, at 96.5% against 75.6% in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan as of 2020.
What is the difference in literacy rate, adult total between Kuwait and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
20.9%, with Kuwait ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Kuwait and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
15 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2020.
How do Kuwait and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank globally for literacy rate, adult total?
Kuwait ranks 28th and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 27th of 89 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Kuwait vs Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Literacy rate, adult total. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 19 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/literacy-rate-adult-total-percent-of-people-ages-15-and-above/kuwait/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above)
Unit
% of people ages 15 and above
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
128 places, 2,592 data points, 1973–2024
Last refreshed

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.