Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)
ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male was 85.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501), 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) stood at 85.4%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) peaked at 85.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 62.8%, in 1980.
ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) ranks 108th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 62.8% | — |
| 1981 | 63.2% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 63.9% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 63.7% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 64.3% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 64.9% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 65.6% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 66.2% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 66.9% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 67.7% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 68.5% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 69.3% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 70.1% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 71.1% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 71.8% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 72.4% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 73.2% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 73.9% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 74.8% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 75.5% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 76.2% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 77.0% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 77.8% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 80.7% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 81.2% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 81.6% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 78.5% | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 79.3% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 79.8% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 80.9% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 81.3% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 82.7% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 83.5% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 84.3% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 84.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 85.0% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 83.4% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 83.8% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 84.0% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 84.1% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 84.4% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 84.7% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 84.9% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 85.2% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 85.4% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 64.9% | 62.8% | 67.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 72.1% | 68.5% | 75.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.3% | 76.2% | 81.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.6% | 81.3% | 85.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.9% | 84.4% | 85.4% | 5 |
More education data for ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 40.79 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.75 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.06 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.7891 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 26.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 21.05 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) was 85.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- The highest recorded value was 85.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.8% in 1980.
- How does ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male?
- ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) ranks 108th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male rising or falling in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release