Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries
UNICEF: All Unicef Countries: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male was 89.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
89.7%
Change on year
up 0.1%
Rank
81st
of 203 groups
All-time high
89.7%
in 2024
All-time low
69.7%
in 1975
Years of data
50
1975–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries is 89.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries peaked at 89.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 69.7%, in 1975.
UNICEF: All Unicef Countries ranks 81st 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 UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 69.7% | — |
| 1976 | 69.8% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 70.1% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 70.7% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 71.3% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 71.8% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 72.3% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 72.8% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 73.3% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 73.9% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 74.4% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 74.8% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 75.5% | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 77.0% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 77.4% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 77.9% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 78.3% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 78.9% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 79.4% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 79.8% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 80.3% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 80.7% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 82.2% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 83.7% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 84.0% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 84.2% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 84.5% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 84.9% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 85.4% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 85.7% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 85.8% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 85.6% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 86.0% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 86.3% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 86.6% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 87.0% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 87.3% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 87.5% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 87.8% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 88.0% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 88.4% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 88.6% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 88.8% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 89.0% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 88.9% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 89.1% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 89.2% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 89.4% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 89.6% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 89.7% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 70.3% | 69.7% | 71.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 74.3% | 71.8% | 77.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 80.5% | 77.9% | 84.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 85.5% | 84.2% | 86.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.1% | 87.0% | 89.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.4% | 89.1% | 89.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: All Unicef Countries
- 78 Pakistan 69.1% compare
- 79 Côte d'Ivoire 68.0% compare
- 80 Benin 62.6% compare
- 81 Senegal 61.5% compare
- 82 Sierra Leone 54.6% compare
- 83 Guinea 54.4% compare
- 84 Afghanistan 52.1% compare
More education data for UNICEF: All Unicef Countries
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 569.51 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.8422 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 274.67 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 29.12 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.6486 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 345.07 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 294.84 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries was 89.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- The highest recorded value was 89.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.7% in 1975.
- How does UNICEF: All Unicef Countries rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male?
- UNICEF: All Unicef Countries ranks 81st out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male rising or falling in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: All Unicef Countries 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