Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine
Palestine: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 97.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine, 1997–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine stood at 97.9%. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine peaked at 97.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 86.1%, in 1997.
Palestine ranks 17th of 89 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 86.1% | — |
| 2004 | 92.5% | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 93.5% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 93.8% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 94.0% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 94.4% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 94.7% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 95.0% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 95.7% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 96.0% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 96.2% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 96.5% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 96.7% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 96.9% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 97.2% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 97.4% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 97.5% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 97.7% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 97.8% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 97.9% | +0.1% |
Palestine compared with similar countries
- Palestine's 97.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 78.2%, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Palestine's 97.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 94.4%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 86.1% | 86.1% | 86.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 93.6% | 92.5% | 94.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 96.2% | 94.7% | 97.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.7% | 97.5% | 97.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Palestine
More education data for Palestine
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 50,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 306 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 86,251 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 83,420 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 868,232 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 514,700 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.15 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0996 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Palestine was 97.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Palestine?
- The highest recorded value was 97.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Palestine?
- The lowest recorded value was 86.1% in 1997.
- How does Palestine rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- Palestine ranks 17th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Palestine?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Palestine 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