Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries
UNICEF: All Unicef Countries: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 86.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
86.1%
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
86th
of 203 groups
All-time high
86.1%
in 2024
All-time low
58.9%
in 1975
Years of data
50
1975–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries is 86.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries peaked at 86.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 58.9%, in 1975.
That places UNICEF: All Unicef Countries 86th 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 50 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 58.9% | — |
| 1976 | 59.1% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 59.4% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 60.2% | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 60.9% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 61.6% | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 62.4% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 63.0% | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 63.7% | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 64.5% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 65.2% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 65.8% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 66.6% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 68.5% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 69.1% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 69.8% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 70.3% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 70.9% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 71.5% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 72.1% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 72.7% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 73.2% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 75.7% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 77.2% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 77.7% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 78.0% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 78.4% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 78.8% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 79.4% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 79.8% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 79.8% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 79.8% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 80.5% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 80.9% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 81.3% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 82.0% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 82.4% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 82.7% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 83.0% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 83.4% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 83.9% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 84.3% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 84.5% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 84.9% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 84.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 85.1% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 85.3% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 85.6% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 85.8% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 86.1% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 59.7% | 58.9% | 60.9% | 5 |
| 1980s | 65.0% | 61.6% | 69.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.1% | 69.8% | 77.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.6% | 78.0% | 81.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.6% | 82.0% | 84.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.6% | 85.1% | 86.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: All Unicef Countries
- 83 Sierra Leone 43.6% compare
- 84 Burkina Faso 41.6% compare
- 85 Guinea 39.6% compare
- 86 Afghanistan 37.3% compare
- 87 Mali 35.6% compare
- 88 Niger 35.6% compare
- 89 Chad 30.6% compare
More education data for UNICEF: All Unicef Countries
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 569.51 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.8422 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 274.67 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 29.12 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.6486 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 345.07 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 294.84 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries was 86.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- The highest recorded value was 86.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.9% in 1975.
- How does UNICEF: All Unicef Countries rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- UNICEF: All Unicef Countries ranks 86th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: All Unicef Countries 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