Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Western Asia
MDG: Western Asia: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 90.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
90.5%
Change on year
up 0.0%
Rank
71st
of 203 groups
All-time high
90.5%
in 2024
All-time low
62.3%
in 1978
Years of data
47
1978–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Western Asia, 1978–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
MDG: Western Asia recorded 90.5% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 47 years on record.
The figure is up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Western Asia peaked at 90.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 62.3%, in 1978.
That places MDG: Western Asia 71st 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 47 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Western Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 62.3% | — |
| 1979 | 62.6% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 63.2% | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 63.8% | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 64.6% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 65.3% | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 68.3% | +4.7% |
| 1985 | 68.9% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 69.4% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 69.9% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 70.7% | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 71.2% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 72.0% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 72.7% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 73.3% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 74.0% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 74.6% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 75.2% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 76.0% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 76.7% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 77.5% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 78.1% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 79.0% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 79.7% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 80.5% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 81.0% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 81.7% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 82.3% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 82.5% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 83.2% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 83.7% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 84.7% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 85.7% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 87.0% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 87.4% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 87.9% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 88.5% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 89.2% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 89.7% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 90.1% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 90.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 90.2% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 90.3% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 90.4% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 90.5% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 90.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 90.5% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 62.5% | 62.3% | 62.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 67.5% | 63.2% | 71.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 75.0% | 72.0% | 78.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.8% | 79.0% | 84.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.6% | 85.7% | 90.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.5% | 90.3% | 90.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near MDG: Western Asia
More education data for MDG: Western Asia
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.03 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 1.11 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 6.88 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 0.4264 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.72 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 12.22 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 517,916 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3.70 million (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Western Asia?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Western Asia was 90.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in MDG: Western Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 90.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in MDG: Western Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.3% in 1978.
- How does MDG: Western Asia rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- MDG: Western Asia ranks 71st out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in MDG: Western Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MDG: Western Asia 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 — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release