Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507)
ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 78.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507), 1972–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507) recorded 78.9% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507) peaked at 78.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 37.9%, in 1972.
That places ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507) 114th 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 53 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 37.9% | — |
| 1973 | 38.2% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 38.5% | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 38.9% | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 39.4% | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 39.8% | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 40.4% | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 41.1% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 41.8% | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 42.5% | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 43.3% | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 43.2% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 44.4% | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 45.5% | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 46.7% | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 47.9% | +2.5% |
| 1988 | 49.0% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 50.1% | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 51.3% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 52.7% | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 53.8% | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 54.4% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 55.4% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 56.5% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 57.6% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 58.7% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 59.8% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 60.9% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 61.9% | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 63.1% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 64.1% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 68.6% | +7.0% |
| 2004 | 69.5% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 70.1% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 67.8% | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 68.6% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 69.6% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 71.2% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 71.9% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 74.1% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 75.4% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 76.9% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 76.4% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 77.2% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 74.1% | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 74.9% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 75.5% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 76.1% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 76.5% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 77.1% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 77.7% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 78.3% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 78.9% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 39.3% | 37.9% | 41.1% | 8 |
| 1980s | 45.4% | 41.8% | 50.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 56.1% | 51.3% | 60.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.4% | 61.9% | 71.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.3% | 71.9% | 77.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.7% | 76.5% | 78.9% | 5 |
More education data for ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.12 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 11.68 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 657,497 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 5.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 4.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 23.80 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.84 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 13.81 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.45 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507) was 78.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507)?
- The highest recorded value was 78.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507)?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.9% in 1972.
- How does ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507) ranks 114th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCWA: Arab Non-conflict and Non-ldc Middle Income Countries (unsdcode:98507) 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