Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508)
ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 79.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508), 1974–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) stood at 79.9%. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% 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: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) peaked at 79.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 43.1%, in 1974.
That places ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) 105th 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 51 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 43.1% | — |
| 1975 | 43.4% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 43.8% | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 44.2% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 44.7% | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 45.2% | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 45.9% | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 46.6% | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 47.3% | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 47.3% | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 48.3% | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 49.3% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 50.3% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 51.3% | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 52.4% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 53.4% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 54.4% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 55.5% | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 56.5% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 57.1% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 58.0% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 58.9% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 60.0% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 61.0% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 62.1% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 63.1% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 64.0% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 65.1% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 66.0% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 69.8% | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 70.6% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 71.1% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 69.4% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 70.0% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 70.9% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 72.2% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 72.9% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 74.7% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 75.8% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 77.3% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 77.3% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 78.0% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 75.6% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 76.6% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 77.1% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 77.6% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 77.9% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 78.5% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 79.0% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 79.5% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 79.9% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 44.1% | 43.1% | 45.2% | 6 |
| 1980s | 49.2% | 45.9% | 53.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 58.6% | 54.4% | 63.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 68.9% | 64.0% | 72.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.3% | 72.9% | 78.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.0% | 77.9% | 79.9% | 5 |
More education data for ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.4091 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 13.85 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2.05 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 3.4 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.67 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.58 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 28.59 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.01 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.16 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.6975 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) was 79.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508)?
- The highest recorded value was 79.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508)?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.1% in 1974.
- How does ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) ranks 105th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) 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 — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release