Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 77.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, 1974–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa stood at 77.3%. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa peaked at 77.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 30.6%, in 1974.
That places UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa 102nd 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 UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 30.6% | — |
| 1975 | 31.1% | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 31.7% | +1.7% |
| 1977 | 32.3% | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 33.0% | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 33.8% | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 34.6% | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 35.4% | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 36.4% | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 37.4% | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 38.5% | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 39.5% | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 40.5% | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 41.6% | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 42.8% | +2.9% |
| 1989 | 44.0% | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 46.6% | +6.1% |
| 1991 | 47.8% | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 49.0% | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 49.4% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 50.5% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 52.2% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 53.5% | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 54.9% | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 56.2% | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 57.6% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 58.8% | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 60.2% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 61.5% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 63.8% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 65.0% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 65.8% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 65.6% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 66.4% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 68.6% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 69.5% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 70.3% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 70.8% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 71.7% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 72.8% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 72.9% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 73.8% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 73.0% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 73.8% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 74.3% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 74.8% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 75.3% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 75.8% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 76.3% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 76.8% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 77.3% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 32.1% | 30.6% | 33.8% | 6 |
| 1980s | 39.1% | 34.6% | 44.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.8% | 46.6% | 57.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 64.5% | 58.8% | 69.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 72.8% | 70.3% | 74.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.3% | 75.3% | 77.3% | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 21.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 23.21 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.49 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.5257 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 17.53 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.61 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.11 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa was 77.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 77.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.6% in 1974.
- How does UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa ranks 102nd out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Middle East and North 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