Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Mexico
Mexico: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes was 97.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Mexico, 1990–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Mexico recorded 97.0% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Mexico peaked at 97.1% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 92.1%, in 1990.
That places Mexico 22nd out of 57 countries with data for 2020, putting it 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, urban, both sexes in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 92.1% | — |
| 2004 | 93.2% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 94.7% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 94.0% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 95.3% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 95.4% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 95.7% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 95.6% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 95.9% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 96.3% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 96.2% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 96.5% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 96.5% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 96.7% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 96.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 97.1% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 97.0% | -0.1% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 97.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.5%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 97.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 96.5%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 92.1% | 92.1% | 92.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 94.7% | 93.2% | 95.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 96.4% | 95.6% | 97.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 97.0% | 97.0% | 97.0% | 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, urban, both sexes in Mexico?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Mexico was 97.0% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 97.1% in 2018.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 92.1% in 1990.
- How does Mexico rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes?
- Mexico ranks 22nd out of 57 countries with data for 2020.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. 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, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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