Literacy rate in Qatar
Qatar: Literacy rate was 99.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate in Qatar, 1950–2024
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Qatar recorded 99.3% for literacy rate in 2024. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Qatar peaked at 99.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.5%, in 1950.
That places Qatar 10th out of 128 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Literacy rate in Qatar, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 7.5% | — |
| 1986 | 75.6% | +908.5% |
| 1997 | 83.3% | +10.1% |
| 2004 | 89.0% | +6.8% |
| 2007 | 93.1% | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 94.0% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 94.7% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 96.3% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 96.4% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 96.7% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 97.5% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 97.8% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 98.5% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 98.8% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 99.3% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
Qatar compared with similar countries
- Qatar's 99.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.8%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Qatar's 99.3% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 93.3%, 1.1× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate in Qatar changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +908.5% | 7.5% | 75.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.5% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 75.6% | 75.6% | 75.6% | 1 |
| 1990s | 83.3% | 83.3% | 83.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 92.7% | 89.0% | 94.7% | 4 |
| 2010s | 97.4% | 96.3% | 98.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 99.3% | 99.3% | 99.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Qatar
More education data for Qatar
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,368 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,379 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 25,980 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 24,823 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 151,038 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 180,287 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0631 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Qatar?
- Literacy rate in Qatar was 99.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Qatar?
- The highest recorded value was 99.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Qatar?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.5% in 1950.
- How does Qatar rank for literacy rate?
- Qatar ranks 10th out of 128 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Qatar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Qatar data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.