Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male was 19.99 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
19.99 million
Change on year
down 0.1%
Rank
101st
of 203 groups
All-time high
26.61 million
in 1989
All-time low
18.24 million
in 2015
Years of data
36
1989–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa recorded 19.99 million for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in 2024.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa peaked at 26.61 million in 1989 and was at its lowest, 18.24 million, in 2015.
That places UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa 101st out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 26.61 million | — |
| 1990 | 24.91 million | -6.4% |
| 1991 | 24.65 million | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 24.57 million | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 24.20 million | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 24.02 million | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 23.71 million | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 23.53 million | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 23.36 million | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 23.02 million | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 22.88 million | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 22.76 million | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 22.43 million | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 22.18 million | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 19.47 million | -12.2% |
| 2004 | 19.32 million | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 19.42 million | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 22.20 million | +14.3% |
| 2007 | 21.80 million | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 20.89 million | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 20.17 million | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 19.98 million | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 19.83 million | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 18.94 million | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 18.36 million | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 18.78 million | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 18.24 million | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 20.95 million | +14.8% |
| 2017 | 20.71 million | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 20.58 million | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 20.50 million | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 20.36 million | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 20.14 million | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 20.01 million | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 20.01 million | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 19.99 million | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 26.61 million | 26.61 million | 26.61 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 23.88 million | 22.88 million | 24.91 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.06 million | 19.32 million | 22.76 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.69 million | 18.24 million | 20.95 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.10 million | 19.99 million | 20.36 million | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 21.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 23.21 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.49 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.5257 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 17.53 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.61 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.11 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa was 19.99 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 26.61 million in 1989.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.24 million in 2015.
- How does UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male?
- UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa ranks 101st out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male rising or falling in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release