Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)
ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 72.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500), 1979–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) stood at 72.5%. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) peaked at 72.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 35.0%, in 1979.
That places ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) 114th 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 46 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 35.0% | — |
| 1980 | 35.7% | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 36.4% | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 37.3% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 37.5% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 38.3% | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 39.0% | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 39.8% | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 40.6% | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 41.5% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 42.5% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 43.6% | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 44.5% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 45.5% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 45.6% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 46.6% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 47.5% | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 48.8% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 50.0% | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 51.3% | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 52.6% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 53.8% | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 55.1% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 56.4% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 59.1% | +4.8% |
| 2004 | 60.2% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 61.1% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 59.4% | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 60.2% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 61.3% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 62.3% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 63.1% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 65.5% | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 66.4% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 67.9% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 68.0% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 69.0% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 67.8% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 68.8% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 69.3% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 69.8% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 70.3% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 70.8% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 71.4% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 71.9% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 72.5% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 35.0% | 35.0% | 35.0% | 1 |
| 1980s | 38.9% | 35.7% | 42.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.6% | 43.6% | 52.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.9% | 53.8% | 62.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.6% | 63.1% | 69.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 71.4% | 70.3% | 72.5% | 5 |
More education data for ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 34.40 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.88 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 16.59 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.304 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.28 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.80 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.6427 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.6849 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 23.71 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) was 72.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)?
- The highest recorded value was 72.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.0% in 1979.
- How does ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) ranks 114th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release