Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia
SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 78.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia, 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia recorded 78.2% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia peaked at 78.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 41.7%, in 1976.
SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia ranks 100th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 41.7% | — |
| 1977 | 42.3% | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 43.0% | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 43.1% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 43.9% | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 44.6% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 45.5% | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 46.1% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 48.8% | +5.9% |
| 1985 | 49.7% | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 50.5% | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 51.4% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 52.4% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 53.1% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 54.1% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 54.8% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 55.6% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 55.8% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 56.5% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 57.3% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 58.2% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 59.1% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 60.1% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 61.0% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 61.8% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 62.8% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 63.9% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 65.8% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 66.7% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 67.5% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 66.4% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 67.1% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 68.1% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 69.6% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 70.7% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 72.7% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 73.5% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 74.7% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 74.8% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 75.6% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 74.9% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 75.7% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 76.1% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 76.5% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 76.8% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 77.1% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 77.5% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 77.8% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 78.2% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 42.5% | 41.7% | 43.1% | 4 |
| 1980s | 48.6% | 43.9% | 53.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 57.2% | 54.1% | 61.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.0% | 61.8% | 69.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.5% | 70.7% | 76.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.5% | 76.8% | 78.2% | 5 |
More education data for SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 32.09 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.2663 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.45 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 9.09 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 61.67 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.5703 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 29.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.7875 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 26.40 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia was 78.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 78.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.7% in 1976.
- How does SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia ranks 100th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia 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