Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024
GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 77.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024, 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 is 77.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 peaked at 77.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 55.3%, in 1976.
That places GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 127th 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 49 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 55.3% | — |
| 1977 | 55.6% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 56.0% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 56.4% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 56.8% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 57.1% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 57.5% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 57.8% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 58.3% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 58.7% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 59.0% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 60.0% | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 60.7% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 61.2% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 61.8% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 62.2% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 62.8% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 63.4% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 64.0% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 64.5% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 65.0% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 65.5% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 66.5% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 67.0% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 66.9% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 67.5% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 68.0% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 68.9% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 69.4% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 69.5% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 68.5% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 68.8% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 69.3% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 69.7% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 70.7% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 71.4% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 71.5% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 72.3% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 73.0% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 74.0% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 74.6% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 75.0% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 75.6% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 75.8% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 76.0% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 76.4% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 76.7% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 76.9% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 77.1% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 55.8% | 55.3% | 56.4% | 4 |
| 1980s | 58.7% | 56.8% | 61.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.3% | 61.8% | 67.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 68.6% | 66.9% | 69.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.4% | 70.7% | 75.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.6% | 76.0% | 77.1% | 5 |
More education data for GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 97.82 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 62.10 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 104.89 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.96 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 10.46 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 202.72 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 4.07 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.4294 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 was 77.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024?
- The highest recorded value was 77.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.3% in 1976.
- How does GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 ranks 127th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 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