Literacy rate in Palestine, State of

Palestine, State of: Literacy rate was 97.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
97.9%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
29th
of 128 countries
All-time high
97.9%
in 2024
All-time low
86.1%
in 1997
Years of data
20
1997–2024

Literacy rate in Palestine, State of, 1997–2024

0204060801001997201020241997: 86.1 %2004: 92.5 %2006: 93.5 %2007: 93.8 %2008: 94 %2009: 94.4 %2010: 94.7 %2011: 95 %2012: 95.7 %2013: 96 %2014: 96.2 %2015: 96.5 %2016: 96.7 %2017: 96.9 %2018: 97.2 %2019: 97.4 %2020: 97.5 %2021: 97.7 %2022: 97.8 %2024: 97.9 %

Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Palestine, State of recorded 97.9% for literacy rate in 2024. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate in Palestine, State of peaked at 97.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 86.1%, in 1997.

Palestine, State of ranks 29th of 128 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.

Literacy rate in Palestine, State of, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate in Palestine, State of, 1997 to 2024.
Year % Change
1997 86.1%
2004 92.5% +7.4%
2006 93.5% +1.0%
2007 93.8% +0.3%
2008 94.0% +0.3%
2009 94.4% +0.4%
2010 94.7% +0.3%
2011 95.0% +0.3%
2012 95.7% +0.7%
2013 96.0% +0.4%
2014 96.2% +0.2%
2015 96.5% +0.3%
2016 96.7% +0.2%
2017 96.9% +0.2%
2018 97.2% +0.3%
2019 97.4% +0.2%
2020 97.5% +0.1%
2021 97.7% +0.2%
2022 97.8% +0.2%
2024 97.9% +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 86.1% 86.1% 86.1% 1
2000s 93.6% 92.5% 94.4% 5
2010s 96.2% 94.7% 97.4% 10
2020s 97.7% 97.5% 97.9% 4

Countries ranked near Palestine, State of

  1. 26 Bulgaria 98.3% compare
  2. 27 Maldives 98.2% compare
  3. 28 Samoa 98.0% compare
  4. 30 Saudi Arabia 97.9% compare
  5. 31 Bahrain 97.8% compare
  6. 32 Albania 97.7% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More education data for Palestine, State of

All data for Palestine, State of →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate in Palestine, State of?
Literacy rate in Palestine, State of was 97.9% 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 Palestine, State of?
The highest recorded value was 97.9% in 2024.
What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Palestine, State of?
The lowest recorded value was 86.1% in 1997.
How does Palestine, State of rank for literacy rate?
Palestine, State of ranks 29th out of 128 countries with data for 2024.
Is literacy rate rising or falling in Palestine, State of?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Palestine, State of 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.

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Literacy rate in Palestine, State of. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/cross-country-literacy-rates/west-bank-and-gaza/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,272 data points, 1475–2024
Last refreshed

Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.