Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434)
ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 82.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434), 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) stood at 82.0%. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) peaked at 82.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 55.5%, in 1976.
ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) ranks 102nd of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 55.5% | — |
| 1977 | 55.8% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 56.0% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 56.2% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 56.5% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 56.7% | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 57.0% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 57.3% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 57.5% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 57.8% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 58.1% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 58.5% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 59.8% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 60.3% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 60.7% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 60.9% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 61.1% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 61.1% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 61.7% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 62.4% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 62.7% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 63.0% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 65.3% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 65.8% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 66.2% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 66.7% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 67.2% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 67.8% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 68.4% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 69.0% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 66.5% | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 67.0% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 67.5% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 67.9% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 71.9% | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 72.4% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 69.4% | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 72.1% | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 72.8% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 76.0% | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 79.1% | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 79.5% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 79.3% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 79.9% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 80.1% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 80.7% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 81.3% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 81.7% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 82.0% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 55.9% | 55.5% | 56.2% | 4 |
| 1980s | 58.0% | 56.5% | 60.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 62.5% | 60.7% | 65.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.4% | 66.2% | 69.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.2% | 69.4% | 79.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.2% | 80.1% | 82.0% | 5 |
More education data for ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.8137 % change on previous year (2021)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 20.10 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1.52 million (2020)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.65 million (2020)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.1447 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 40.76 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 45.96 million (2021)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 22.06 million (2021)
All data for ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) was 82.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434)?
- The highest recorded value was 82.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434)?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.5% in 1976.
- How does ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) ranks 102nd out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release