Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa
SDG: Northern Africa: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 68.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa, 1974–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa stood at 68.8%. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa peaked at 68.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 24.6%, in 1974.
That places SDG: Northern Africa 134th 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 51 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 24.6% | — |
| 1975 | 24.9% | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 25.3% | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 25.8% | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 26.3% | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 26.9% | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 27.7% | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 28.5% | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 29.2% | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 29.6% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 30.7% | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 31.8% | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 33.0% | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 34.1% | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 35.3% | +3.5% |
| 1989 | 36.5% | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 37.7% | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 39.0% | +3.6% |
| 1992 | 40.3% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 40.2% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 41.4% | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 42.5% | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 43.9% | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 45.3% | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 46.7% | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 48.1% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 49.4% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 50.9% | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 52.2% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 55.3% | +6.0% |
| 2004 | 56.5% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 57.5% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 55.0% | -4.5% |
| 2007 | 55.8% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 57.2% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 58.5% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 59.4% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 62.0% | +4.3% |
| 2012 | 63.1% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 64.9% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 64.6% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 65.5% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 63.4% | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 64.3% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 65.1% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 65.7% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 66.3% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 66.9% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 67.5% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 68.1% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 68.8% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 25.6% | 24.6% | 26.9% | 6 |
| 1980s | 31.6% | 27.7% | 36.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 42.5% | 37.7% | 48.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.8% | 49.4% | 58.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.8% | 59.4% | 65.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.5% | 66.3% | 68.8% | 5 |
More education data for SDG: Northern Africa
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 26.17 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 4.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 12.91 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 4.66 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.30 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 3.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 33.17 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 13.26 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa was 68.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in SDG: Northern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 68.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in SDG: Northern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.6% in 1974.
- How does SDG: Northern Africa rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- SDG: Northern Africa ranks 134th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in SDG: Northern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this SDG: Northern Africa 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