Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male was 98.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
98.6%
World rank
19th
of 88 countries
All-time high
98.6%
in 2020
All-time low
80.0%
in 1992
Years of data
7
1992–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Saudi Arabia, 1992–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Saudi Arabia stood at 98.6%.
That represents a change of up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Saudi Arabia peaked at 98.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 80.0%, in 1992.
That places Saudi Arabia 19th out of 88 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 80.0% | — |
| 2000 | 87.1% | +8.9% |
| 2004 | 87.5% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 96.5% | +10.3% |
| 2017 | 97.1% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 98.6% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 98.6% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 80.0% | 80.0% | 80.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 87.3% | 87.1% | 87.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 96.8% | 96.5% | 97.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 98.6% | 98.6% | 98.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Saudi Arabia?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Saudi Arabia was 98.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 98.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.0% in 1992.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 19th out of 88 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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