Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)
ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 79.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500), 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) stood at 79.5%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) peaked at 79.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 50.7%, in 1980.
ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) ranks 107th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 50.7% | — |
| 1981 | 51.2% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 52.0% | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 51.9% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 52.6% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 53.2% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 53.8% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 54.4% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 55.3% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 56.1% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 57.0% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 57.8% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 58.7% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 59.2% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 60.0% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 60.8% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 61.8% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 62.8% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 63.8% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 64.8% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 65.6% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 66.8% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 67.8% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 70.8% | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 71.7% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 72.3% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 69.6% | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 70.4% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 71.2% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 72.3% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 72.9% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 74.8% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 75.7% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 76.8% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 76.8% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 77.7% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 76.2% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 76.9% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 77.2% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 77.5% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 77.9% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 78.2% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 78.7% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 79.0% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 79.5% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 53.1% | 50.7% | 56.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.7% | 57.0% | 64.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.8% | 65.6% | 72.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.3% | 72.9% | 77.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.7% | 77.9% | 79.5% | 5 |
More education data for ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 34.40 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.88 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 16.59 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.304 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.28 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.80 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.6427 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.6849 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 23.71 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) was 79.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)?
- The highest recorded value was 79.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.7% in 1980.
- How does ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) ranks 107th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) 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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About this data
February 2026 Data Release