Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 83.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa recorded 83.6% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa peaked at 83.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 46.0%, in 1975.
That places UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa 94th 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: Middle East and North Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 46.0% | — |
| 1976 | 46.5% | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 47.0% | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 47.7% | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 48.3% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 49.0% | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 49.7% | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 50.7% | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 51.3% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 52.2% | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 53.1% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 54.0% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 54.9% | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 55.9% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 56.9% | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 59.2% | +4.1% |
| 1991 | 60.2% | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 61.2% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 62.0% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 62.8% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 64.1% | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 65.1% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 66.2% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 67.3% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 68.3% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 69.3% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 70.4% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 71.5% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 74.0% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 74.9% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 75.6% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 74.6% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 75.4% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 77.0% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 77.9% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 78.5% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 79.0% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 79.8% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 80.7% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 80.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 81.5% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 80.4% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 81.0% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 81.3% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 81.6% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 82.1% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 82.4% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 82.9% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 83.2% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 83.6% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 47.1% | 46.0% | 48.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 52.8% | 49.0% | 56.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 63.6% | 59.2% | 68.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 74.1% | 69.3% | 77.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.5% | 78.5% | 81.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.8% | 82.1% | 83.6% | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 21.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 23.21 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.49 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.5257 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 17.53 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.61 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.11 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa was 83.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 83.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.0% in 1975.
- How does UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa ranks 94th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa 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