Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in MDG: World
MDG: World: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male was 90.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
90.9%
Change on year
up 0.1%
Rank
75th
of 203 groups
All-time high
90.9%
in 2024
All-time low
74.4%
in 1975
Years of data
50
1975–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in MDG: World, 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
MDG: World recorded 90.9% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in MDG: World peaked at 90.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 74.4%, in 1975.
MDG: World ranks 75th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in MDG: World, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 74.4% | — |
| 1976 | 74.5% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 74.8% | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 75.3% | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 75.8% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 76.2% | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 76.7% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 77.1% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 77.5% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 78.0% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 78.4% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 78.8% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 79.3% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 80.6% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 81.0% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 81.4% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 81.7% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 82.1% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 82.5% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 82.9% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 83.2% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 83.5% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 84.7% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 86.0% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 86.2% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 86.4% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 86.6% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 86.9% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 87.3% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 87.6% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 87.7% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 87.5% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 87.8% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 88.1% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 88.3% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 88.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 88.9% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 89.0% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 89.2% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 89.5% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 89.8% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 90.0% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 90.1% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 90.3% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 90.2% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 90.4% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 90.5% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 90.7% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 90.8% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 90.9% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 75.0% | 74.4% | 75.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 78.3% | 76.2% | 81.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 83.4% | 81.4% | 86.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 87.4% | 86.4% | 88.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.6% | 88.6% | 90.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.7% | 90.4% | 90.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near MDG: World
More education data for MDG: World
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.5777 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 337.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.7457 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 314.66 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.21 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 376.42 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 404.43 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.4213 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in MDG: World?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in MDG: World was 90.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in MDG: World?
- The highest recorded value was 90.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in MDG: World?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.4% in 1975.
- How does MDG: World rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male?
- MDG: World ranks 75th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male rising or falling in MDG: World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MDG: World 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release