Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male was 46.22 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) is 46.22 million, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) peaked at 46.59 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 38.19 million, in 2003.
That places WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) 69th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 44.42 million | — |
| 1990 | 42.74 million | -3.8% |
| 1991 | 43.22 million | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 41.95 million | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 40.29 million | -3.9% |
| 1994 | 40.67 million | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 40.76 million | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 41.05 million | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 41.35 million | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 41.64 million | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 41.97 million | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 42.31 million | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 42.39 million | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 42.67 million | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 38.19 million | -10.5% |
| 2004 | 38.50 million | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 39.00 million | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 42.18 million | +8.1% |
| 2007 | 42.65 million | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 41.48 million | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 40.38 million | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 40.74 million | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 42.86 million | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 40.90 million | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 41.53 million | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 42.20 million | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 41.92 million | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 44.51 million | +6.2% |
| 2017 | 44.34 million | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 45.80 million | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 46.53 million | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 46.59 million | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 46.55 million | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 46.41 million | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 46.29 million | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 46.22 million | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.42 million | 44.42 million | 44.42 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 41.56 million | 40.29 million | 43.22 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.97 million | 38.19 million | 42.67 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.13 million | 40.74 million | 46.53 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.41 million | 46.22 million | 46.59 million | 5 |
More education data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.74 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 3.82 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 8.80 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 29.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.80 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 32.64 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 4.06 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) was 46.22 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The highest recorded value was 46.59 million in 2020.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.19 million in 2003.
- How does WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male?
- WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 69th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male rising or falling in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) 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