Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503)
ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 82.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
82.7%
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
97th
of 203 groups
All-time high
82.7%
in 2024
All-time low
46.5%
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503), 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503) stood at 82.7%. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503) peaked at 82.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 46.5%, in 1970.
ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503) ranks 97th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 46.5% | — |
| 1971 | 46.5% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 46.9% | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 47.3% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 47.7% | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 48.3% | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 48.8% | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 49.5% | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 50.3% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 51.0% | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 51.7% | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 52.5% | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 53.2% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 52.5% | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 53.4% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 54.2% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 55.2% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 56.1% | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 57.0% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 57.9% | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 58.8% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 59.6% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 60.5% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 60.9% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 61.8% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 62.6% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 63.6% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 64.5% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 65.5% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 66.4% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 67.2% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 68.1% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 69.0% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 74.3% | +7.6% |
| 2004 | 75.0% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 75.7% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 72.5% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 73.4% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 74.3% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 75.8% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 76.6% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 77.0% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 77.7% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 79.5% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 80.5% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 81.4% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 77.7% | -4.6% |
| 2017 | 78.8% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 79.3% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 79.9% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 80.3% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 80.9% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 81.5% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 82.1% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 82.7% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 48.3% | 46.5% | 51.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 54.4% | 51.7% | 57.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 62.4% | 58.8% | 66.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.5% | 67.2% | 75.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.8% | 76.6% | 81.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.5% | 80.3% | 82.7% | 5 |
More education data for ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 8.52 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.5456 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 9.32 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.2365 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.23 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.2143 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.84 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 3.43 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 7.21 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503) was 82.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503)?
- The highest recorded value was 82.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503)?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.5% in 1970.
- How does ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503) ranks 97th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCWA: Mashreq Subregion (unsdcode:98503) 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 — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release