Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Mozambique
Mozambique: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male was 87.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
87.9%
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
47th
of 57 countries
All-time high
88.7%
in 2017
All-time low
77.8%
in 1980
Years of data
6
1980–2020
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Mozambique, 1980–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Mozambique stood at 87.9%.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Mozambique peaked at 88.7% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 77.8%, in 1980.
Mozambique ranks 47th of 57 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Mozambique, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 77.8% | — |
| 1997 | 80.4% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 84.5% | +5.2% |
| 2015 | 86.7% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 88.7% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 87.9% | -0.9% |
Mozambique compared with similar countries
- Mozambique's 87.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 87.9%, 1.0× the median. (7 countries reporting)
- Mozambique's 87.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 89.2%, 99% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 77.8% | 77.8% | 77.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 80.4% | 80.4% | 80.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 84.5% | 84.5% | 84.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 87.7% | 86.7% | 88.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 87.9% | 87.9% | 87.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mozambique
More education data for Mozambique
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 33,281 (2017)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 278,480 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 24,278 (1986)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 20,822 (1986)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.07 million (2017)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.66 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 4.4 % change on previous year (2020)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2344 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Mozambique?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Mozambique was 87.9% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male recorded in Mozambique?
- The highest recorded value was 88.7% in 2017.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male recorded in Mozambique?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.8% in 1980.
- How does Mozambique rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male?
- Mozambique ranks 47th out of 57 countries with data for 2020.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male rising or falling in Mozambique?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mozambique data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release