Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in MDG: Northern Africa
MDG: Northern Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes was 37.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in MDG: Northern Africa, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
MDG: Northern Africa recorded 37.9% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in MDG: Northern Africa peaked at 37.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.8%, in 1971.
MDG: Northern Africa ranks 179th of 201 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in MDG: Northern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 12.8% | — |
| 1972 | 12.8% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 12.8% | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 12.8% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 12.8% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 12.8% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 13.1% | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 13.4% | +2.3% |
| 1979 | 13.7% | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 13.9% | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 14.2% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 14.3% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 13.8% | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 13.9% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 14.0% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 14.1% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 14.4% | +2.5% |
| 1988 | 14.8% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 15.1% | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 15.4% | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 15.4% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 15.7% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 15.2% | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 15.4% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 15.8% | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 16.2% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 16.6% | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 17.2% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 17.6% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 18.0% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 18.6% | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 19.0% | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 28.5% | +50.2% |
| 2004 | 28.7% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 28.5% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 19.6% | -31.3% |
| 2007 | 20.1% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 21.4% | +7.0% |
| 2009 | 26.3% | +22.5% |
| 2010 | 26.8% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 29.6% | +10.4% |
| 2012 | 28.7% | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 32.6% | +13.8% |
| 2014 | 33.2% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 33.9% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 29.7% | -12.4% |
| 2017 | 30.9% | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 32.0% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 33.0% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 34.0% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 35.0% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 36.1% | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 37.0% | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 37.9% | +2.5% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in MDG: Northern Africa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +50.2% | 19.0% | 28.5% |
| 2006 | -31.3% | 28.5% | 19.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.0% | 12.8% | 13.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 14.2% | 13.8% | 15.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.1% | 15.2% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.9% | 18.0% | 28.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.0% | 26.8% | 33.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.0% | 34.0% | 37.9% | 5 |
More education data for MDG: Northern Africa
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 11.37 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 697,877 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 5.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.09 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 4.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 23.16 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.66 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 13.43 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.42 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in MDG: Northern Africa?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in MDG: Northern Africa was 37.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in MDG: Northern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 37.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in MDG: Northern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.8% in 1971.
- How does MDG: Northern Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes?
- MDG: Northern Africa ranks 179th out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in MDG: Northern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MDG: Northern Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release