Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male was 92.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1976–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of stood at 92.8%. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 92.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 48.2%, in 1976.
That places Iran, Islamic Republic of 46th out of 88 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 48.2% | — |
| 1986 | 63.1% | +31.0% |
| 1991 | 74.3% | +17.7% |
| 1996 | 79.9% | +7.5% |
| 2002 | 83.5% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 88.0% | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 87.3% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 88.2% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 88.3% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 88.8% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 88.1% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 88.9% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 89.5% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 89.6% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 90.1% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 90.3% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 90.5% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 91.2% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 91.6% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 92.0% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 92.4% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 92.5% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 92.8% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 48.2% | 48.2% | 48.2% | 1 |
| 1980s | 63.1% | 63.1% | 63.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 77.1% | 74.3% | 79.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 87.1% | 83.5% | 88.3% | 5 |
| 2010s | 89.9% | 88.1% | 91.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 92.4% | 92.0% | 92.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
- 43 Dominican Republic 93.6% compare
- 44 Sri Lanka 93.5% compare
- 45 Cape Verde 92.9% compare
- 47 Tunisia 92.7% compare
- 48 Sao Tome and Principe 92.5% compare
- 49 El Salvador 91.6% compare
More education data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 92.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 92.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.2% in 1976.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 46th out of 88 countries with data for 2023.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of 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