Saudi Arabia vs World: Literacy rate, adult total
Saudi Arabia
97.9%
in 2024
World
87.7%
in 2024
Saudi Arabia rank
17th
World rank
18th
Literacy rate, adult total over time
- Saudi Arabia
- World
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 97.9% against 87.7% in World, a difference of 10.2%.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.1 times World's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 7 shared years of data; in 1992 it was World ahead.
Saudi Arabia ranks 17th and World ranks 18th of 89 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Saudi Arabia averaged higher in 2 and World in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Saudi Arabia | World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 70.8% | 75.5% | 4.7% | World |
| 2000s | 81.1% | 81.8% | 0.7% | World |
| 2010s | 94.9% | 85.8% | 9.0% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 97.8% | 87.4% | 10.4% | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher literacy rate, adult total, Saudi Arabia or World?
- Saudi Arabia, at 97.9% against 87.7% in World as of 2024.
- What is the difference in literacy rate, adult total between Saudi Arabia and World?
- 10.2%, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and World?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2024.
- How do Saudi Arabia and World rank globally for literacy rate, adult total?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 17th and World ranks 18th 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.
Individual pages
About this data
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.