Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)
ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 79.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438), 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) stood at 79.1%. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) peaked at 79.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 45.4%, in 1975.
That places ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) 110th 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 50 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 45.4% | — |
| 1976 | 45.6% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 46.1% | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 46.7% | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 47.3% | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 47.8% | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 48.4% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 48.9% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 49.5% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 50.1% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 50.7% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 51.3% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 52.1% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 52.8% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 53.5% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 54.4% | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 55.1% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 56.0% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 56.9% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 57.8% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 58.6% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 59.5% | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 60.3% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 63.6% | +5.5% |
| 1999 | 64.3% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 64.6% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 65.3% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 66.0% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 67.0% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 67.7% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 67.5% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 67.5% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 68.0% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 68.8% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 69.5% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 71.1% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 71.6% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 72.0% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 72.8% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 73.4% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 74.4% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 75.1% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 75.6% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 76.4% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 76.3% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 77.0% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 77.5% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 78.1% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 78.6% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 79.1% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 46.2% | 45.4% | 47.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 50.5% | 47.8% | 53.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 58.7% | 54.4% | 64.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.2% | 64.6% | 69.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.9% | 71.1% | 76.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.0% | 77.0% | 79.1% | 5 |
More education data for ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.0831 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 143.09 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.4555 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 135.85 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 11.74 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 181.37 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.5884 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) was 79.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)?
- The highest recorded value was 79.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.4% in 1975.
- How does ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) ranks 110th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release