Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of

Iran, Islamic Republic of: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male was 81.6% in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
81.6%
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
35th
of 53 countries
All-time high
81.6%
in 2016
All-time low
27.7%
in 1976
Years of data
11
1976–2016

Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1976–2016

204060801976199620161976: 27.7 %1991: 61.6 %1996: 68.2 %2005: 79.2 %2006: 77.8 %2008: 79.1 %2011: 78.7 %2012: 79.8 %2013: 80.4 %2014: 80.8 %2016: 81.6 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Iran, Islamic Republic of recorded 81.6% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male in 2016. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 4.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 81.6% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 27.7%, in 1976.

That places Iran, Islamic Republic of 35th out of 53 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.

Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year

Annual values for Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male (%) in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1976 to 2016.
Year % Change
1976 27.7%
1991 61.6% +122.5%
1996 68.2% +10.7%
2005 79.2% +16.2%
2006 77.8% -1.8%
2008 79.1% +1.7%
2011 78.7% -0.5%
2012 79.8% +1.3%
2013 80.4% +0.8%
2014 80.8% +0.5%
2016 81.6% +1.0%

Iran, Islamic Republic of compared with similar countries

  • Iran, Islamic Republic of's 81.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 92.9%, 88% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
  • Iran, Islamic Republic of's 81.6% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 87.1%, 94% of the median. (9 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 27.7% 27.7% 27.7% 1
1990s 64.9% 61.6% 68.2% 2
2000s 78.7% 77.8% 79.2% 3
2010s 80.2% 78.7% 81.6% 5

Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of

  1. 32 Brazil 83.6% compare
  2. 32 El Salvador 83.6% compare
  3. 34 Uganda 82.6% compare
  4. 36 Honduras 81.5% compare
  5. 37 Bangladesh 81.4% compare
  6. 38 Guatemala 80.8% compare

See the full ranking of 53 places →

More education data for Iran, Islamic Republic of

All data for Iran, Islamic Republic of →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 81.6% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
The highest recorded value was 81.6% in 2016.
What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
The lowest recorded value was 27.7% in 1976.
How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male?
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 35th out of 53 countries with data for 2016.
Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.9%. 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, rural, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male in Iran, Islamic Republic of. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-literacy-rate-population-15-years-rural-male-percent-2/iran-islamic-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
53 places, 506 data points, 1976–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release