Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437)
ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 97.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437), 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437) stood at 97.4%. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437) peaked at 97.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 66.0%, in 1976.
That places ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437) 33rd out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
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: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 66.0% | — |
| 1977 | 66.2% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 67.3% | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 68.5% | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 69.7% | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 70.7% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 71.7% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 72.7% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 73.9% | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 74.9% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 75.8% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 76.8% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 80.8% | +5.2% |
| 1989 | 81.5% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 82.1% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 82.6% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 83.1% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 83.5% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 84.0% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 84.5% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 84.9% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 90.3% | +6.3% |
| 1998 | 90.7% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 91.0% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 91.4% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 91.7% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 92.0% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 92.4% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 92.7% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 93.0% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 93.3% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 94.3% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 94.6% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 95.0% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 95.1% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 95.4% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 95.6% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 95.7% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 96.0% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 96.2% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 96.3% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 96.5% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 96.7% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 96.8% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 96.9% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 97.1% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 97.2% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 97.3% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 97.4% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 67.0% | 66.0% | 68.5% | 4 |
| 1980s | 74.9% | 69.7% | 81.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 85.7% | 82.1% | 91.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 93.0% | 91.4% | 95.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 96.0% | 95.1% | 96.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.2% | 96.9% | 97.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437)
More education data for ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -7.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 46.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.45 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 9.68 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 7.22 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 91.29 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 76.52 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.46 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437) was 97.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437)?
- The highest recorded value was 97.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437)?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.0% in 1976.
- How does ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437) ranks 33rd out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCAP: Wb Upper Middle Income Economies (wb_upper_mid) (unsdcode:98437) 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 — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release