Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes was 89.5% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1976–2016
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iran, Islamic Republic of recorded 89.5% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in 2016. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 89.5% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 56.0%, in 1976.
That places Iran, Islamic Republic of 41st out of 57 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, urban, both sexes in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 56.0% | — |
| 1991 | 76.2% | +36.1% |
| 1996 | 81.1% | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 87.5% | +7.9% |
| 2006 | 87.5% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 87.5% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 88.0% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 87.9% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 88.9% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 88.9% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 89.5% | +0.7% |
Iran, Islamic Republic of compared with similar countries
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 89.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.5%, 93% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 89.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 94.7%, 95% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 56.0% | 56.0% | 56.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 78.7% | 76.2% | 81.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 87.5% | 87.5% | 87.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 88.6% | 87.9% | 89.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
More education data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 89.5% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 89.5% in 2016.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.0% in 1976.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 41st out of 57 countries with data for 2016.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. 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, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release