Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine, State of

Palestine, State of: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 82,717 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
82,717 number
Change on year
down 3.9%
World rank
67th
of 87 countries
All-time high
206,436 number
in 1997
All-time low
82,717 number
in 2018
Years of data
14
1997–2018

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine, State of, 1997–2018

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k1997200720181997: 206.4k number2004: 145.7k number2006: 132.1k number2007: 128.1k number2008: 129.4k number2009: 122.1k number2010: 118.7k number2011: 114.4k number2012: 102.1k number2013: 95.5k number2014: 94.5k number2015: 90.2k number2016: 86.1k number2018: 82.7k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine, State of stood at 82,717 number. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.

That represents a change of down 3.9% on the previous year and down 36.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine, State of peaked at 206,436 number in 1997 and was at its lowest, 82,717 number, in 2018.

That places Palestine, State of 67th out of 87 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine, State of, year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number) in Palestine, State of, 1997 to 2018.
Year number Change
1997 206,436 number
2004 145,669 number -29.4%
2006 132,106 number -9.3%
2007 128,118 number -3.0%
2008 129,402 number +1.0%
2009 122,066 number -5.7%
2010 118,688 number -2.8%
2011 114,437 number -3.6%
2012 102,083 number -10.8%
2013 95,464 number -6.5%
2014 94,482 number -1.0%
2015 90,200 number -4.5%
2016 86,109 number -4.5%
2018 82,717 number -3.9%

Palestine, State of compared with similar countries

  • Palestine, State of's 82,717 number is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.92 million number, 4% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
  • Palestine, State of's 82,717 number is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.16 million number, 7% of the median. (15 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine, State of changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2004 -29.4% 206,436 number 145,669 number

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 206,436 number 206,436 number 206,436 number 1
2000s 131,472 number 122,066 number 145,669 number 5
2010s 98,022 number 82,717 number 118,688 number 8

Countries ranked near Palestine, State of

  1. 64 Singapore 128,380 number compare
  2. 65 Jordan 116,173 number compare
  3. 66 Mauritius 90,364 number compare
  4. 68 Eswatini 81,429 number compare
  5. 69 Albania 44,114 number compare
  6. 70 Uruguay 35,459 number compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More education data for Palestine, State of

All data for Palestine, State of →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine, State of?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine, State of was 82,717 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Palestine, State of?
The highest recorded value was 206,436 number in 1997.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Palestine, State of?
The lowest recorded value was 82,717 number in 2018.
How does Palestine, State of rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
Palestine, State of ranks 67th out of 87 countries with data for 2018.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Palestine, State of?
Over the last ten years it is down 36.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Palestine, State of 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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Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine, State of. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-both-sexes-number/west-bank-and-gaza/

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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.