Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Mexico
Mexico: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes was 88.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Mexico, 1990–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Mexico stood at 88.4%.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Mexico peaked at 89.3% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 74.6%, in 1990.
Mexico ranks 24th of 53 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 74.6% | — |
| 2004 | 83.3% | +11.7% |
| 2005 | 81.0% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 83.7% | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 83.5% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 83.5% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 84.8% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 84.2% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 85.1% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 86.8% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 86.1% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 87.5% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 87.0% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 88.3% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 88.3% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 89.3% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 88.4% | -1.0% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 88.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 91.9%, 96% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 88.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 87.9%, 1.0× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 74.6% | 74.6% | 74.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 83.3% | 81.0% | 84.8% | 6 |
| 2010s | 87.0% | 84.2% | 89.3% | 9 |
| 2020s | 88.4% | 88.4% | 88.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More education data for Mexico
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 868,550 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 96,349 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.11 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.99 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.19 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Mexico?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Mexico was 88.4% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 89.3% in 2018.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.6% in 1990.
- How does Mexico rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes?
- Mexico ranks 24th out of 53 countries with data for 2020.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mexico data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release