Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in WB: World
WB: World: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 87.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
87.7%
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
77th
of 203 groups
All-time high
87.7%
in 2024
All-time low
65.4%
in 1975
Years of data
50
1975–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in WB: World, 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
WB: World recorded 87.7% 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 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in WB: World peaked at 87.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 65.4%, in 1975.
WB: World ranks 77th of 203 groups on this measure, 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 WB: World, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 65.4% | — |
| 1976 | 65.6% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 65.9% | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 66.5% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 67.2% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 67.8% | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 68.3% | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 68.9% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 69.5% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 70.2% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 70.7% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 71.3% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 71.9% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 73.5% | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 74.1% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 74.6% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 75.1% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 75.5% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 76.0% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 76.4% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 76.9% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 77.3% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 79.3% | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 80.5% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 80.9% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 81.1% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 81.4% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 81.7% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 82.2% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 82.6% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 82.6% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 82.5% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 83.1% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 83.5% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 83.8% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 84.4% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 84.7% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 84.9% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 85.2% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 85.6% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 86.0% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 86.3% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 86.5% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 86.8% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 86.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 87.0% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 87.2% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 87.4% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 87.6% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 87.7% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 66.1% | 65.4% | 67.2% | 5 |
| 1980s | 70.6% | 67.8% | 74.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.2% | 74.6% | 80.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 82.5% | 81.1% | 83.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.7% | 84.4% | 86.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.4% | 87.0% | 87.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near WB: World
More education data for WB: World
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.5777 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 337.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.7454 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 314.66 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.21 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 376.42 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 404.43 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.4213 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in WB: World?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in WB: World was 87.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in WB: World?
- The highest recorded value was 87.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in WB: World?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.4% in 1975.
- How does WB: World rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- WB: World ranks 77th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in WB: World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: World 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 — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release