Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)
ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 68.40 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
68.40 million
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
89th
of 203 groups
All-time high
68.40 million
in 2024
All-time low
58.87 million
in 2004
Years of data
36
1989–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501), 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) recorded 68.40 million for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) peaked at 68.40 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 58.87 million, in 2004.
ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) ranks 89th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 63.70 million | — |
| 1990 | 62.34 million | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 62.18 million | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 62.21 million | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 62.73 million | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 63.25 million | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 63.53 million | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 63.53 million | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 63.42 million | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 63.18 million | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 63.16 million | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 63.18 million | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 62.87 million | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 62.63 million | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 59.03 million | -5.7% |
| 2004 | 58.87 million | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 59.35 million | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 65.75 million | +10.8% |
| 2007 | 65.64 million | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 65.56 million | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 64.99 million | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 65.04 million | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 62.37 million | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 61.49 million | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 60.20 million | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 61.37 million | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 60.68 million | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 65.63 million | +8.1% |
| 2017 | 65.33 million | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 65.72 million | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 66.28 million | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 66.75 million | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 67.06 million | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 67.44 million | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 68.06 million | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 68.40 million | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 63.70 million | 63.70 million | 63.70 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 62.95 million | 62.18 million | 63.53 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.79 million | 58.87 million | 65.75 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.41 million | 60.20 million | 66.28 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.54 million | 66.75 million | 68.40 million | 5 |
More education data for ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 21.05 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.75 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 40.79 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 28.97 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.5445 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.33 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) was 68.40 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- The highest recorded value was 68.40 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.87 million in 2004.
- How does ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) ranks 89th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release