Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019)
WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 71.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019), 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019) stood at 71.2%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019) peaked at 71.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 48.0%, in 1980.
That places WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019) 149th 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 45 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 48.0% | — |
| 1981 | 48.2% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 48.5% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 48.8% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 49.2% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 49.6% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 49.7% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 50.3% | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 51.0% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 51.6% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 52.1% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 52.5% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 53.3% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 54.1% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 54.7% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 55.3% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 55.9% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 56.5% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 57.7% | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 58.5% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 58.1% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 58.8% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 59.5% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 60.2% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 60.8% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 60.9% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 59.7% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 59.9% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 60.5% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 60.9% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 62.5% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 63.5% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 63.6% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 64.6% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 65.2% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 66.5% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 67.9% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 68.4% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 69.4% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 69.6% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 69.8% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 70.2% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 70.6% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 70.9% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 71.2% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 49.5% | 48.0% | 51.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 55.1% | 52.1% | 58.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.9% | 58.1% | 60.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.1% | 62.5% | 69.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.5% | 69.8% | 71.2% | 5 |
More education data for WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 3.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 66.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 72.23 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.07 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 49.42 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 4.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 25.20 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 13.52 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.97 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019) was 71.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019)?
- The highest recorded value was 71.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019)?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.0% in 1980.
- How does WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019) ranks 149th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019) 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