Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Guatemala
Guatemala: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 82.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Guatemala, 1994–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Guatemala stood at 82.1%.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Guatemala peaked at 83.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 64.2%, in 1994.
That places Guatemala 57th out of 89 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 64.2% | — |
| 2002 | 69.1% | +7.6% |
| 2012 | 78.3% | +13.3% |
| 2013 | 77.0% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 81.3% | +5.5% |
| 2015 | 80.2% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 80.8% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 83.0% | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 83.0% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 82.1% | -1.1% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 82.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.5%, 86% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 82.1% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 94.9%, 87% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 64.2% | 64.2% | 64.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 69.1% | 69.1% | 69.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 79.5% | 77.0% | 81.3% | 5 |
| 2020s | 82.7% | 82.1% | 83.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More education data for Guatemala
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 122,548 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 247,917 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 335,306 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 328,468 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.42 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.3948 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1317 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Guatemala?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Guatemala was 82.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 83.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.2% in 1994.
- How does Guatemala rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- Guatemala ranks 57th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Guatemala 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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CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release