Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female was 66.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
66.0%
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
31st
of 203 groups
All-time high
67.0%
in 2003
All-time low
62.0%
in 1989
Years of data
36
1989–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa is 66.0%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa peaked at 67.0% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 62.0%, in 1989.
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa ranks 31st of 203 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 62.0% | — |
| 1990 | 62.0% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 62.0% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 63.0% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 63.0% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 63.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 63.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 64.0% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 64.0% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 64.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 64.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 64.0% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 65.0% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 65.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 67.0% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 67.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 67.0% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 65.0% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 65.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 65.0% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 66.0% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 66.0% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 66.0% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 67.0% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 67.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 67.0% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 67.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 65.0% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 65.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 66.0% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 66.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 66.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 66.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 66.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 66.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 66.0% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 62.0% | 62.0% | 62.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 63.2% | 62.0% | 64.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.6% | 64.0% | 67.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.2% | 65.0% | 67.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.0% | 66.0% | 66.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
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, % female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa was 66.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 67.0% in 2003.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.0% in 1989.
- How does UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female?
- UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa ranks 31st out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female rising or falling in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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, % female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release