Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in SDG: Small Island Developing States

SDG: Small Island Developing States: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes was 78.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
78.9%
Change on year
down 0.1%
Rank
71st
of 201 groups
All-time high
79.0%
in 2021
All-time low
65.2%
in 1989
Years of data
36
1989–2024

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in SDG: Small Island Developing States, 1989–2024

0204060801989200620241989: 65.2 %1990: 65.5 %1991: 66 %1992: 66.6 %1993: 67.2 %1994: 67.7 %1995: 68.4 %1996: 69 %1997: 69.8 %1998: 70.2 %1999: 70.7 %2000: 71.2 %2001: 71.6 %2002: 71.9 %2003: 72.3 %2004: 72.6 %2005: 72.9 %2006: 72.3 %2007: 73 %2008: 73.5 %2009: 73.8 %2010: 74.1 %2011: 75.7 %2012: 76 %2013: 76.5 %2014: 77 %2015: 77.2 %2016: 78.2 %2017: 78.3 %2018: 78.5 %2019: 78.7 %2020: 78.1 %2021: 79 %2022: 79 %2023: 79 %2024: 78.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in SDG: Small Island Developing States stood at 78.9%.

That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in SDG: Small Island Developing States peaked at 79.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 65.2%, in 1989.

That places SDG: Small Island Developing States 71st out of 201 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in SDG: Small Island Developing States, year by year

Annual values for Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%) in SDG: Small Island Developing States, 1989 to 2024.
Year % Change
1989 65.2%
1990 65.5% +0.6%
1991 66.0% +0.7%
1992 66.6% +0.9%
1993 67.2% +0.9%
1994 67.7% +0.8%
1995 68.4% +1.0%
1996 69.0% +0.9%
1997 69.8% +1.2%
1998 70.2% +0.6%
1999 70.7% +0.6%
2000 71.2% +0.8%
2001 71.6% +0.5%
2002 71.9% +0.5%
2003 72.3% +0.5%
2004 72.6% +0.4%
2005 72.9% +0.5%
2006 72.3% -0.9%
2007 73.0% +1.0%
2008 73.5% +0.7%
2009 73.8% +0.4%
2010 74.1% +0.3%
2011 75.7% +2.2%
2012 76.0% +0.4%
2013 76.5% +0.6%
2014 77.0% +0.7%
2015 77.2% +0.2%
2016 78.2% +1.4%
2017 78.3% +0.2%
2018 78.5% +0.2%
2019 78.7% +0.2%
2020 78.1% -0.7%
2021 79.0% +1.1%
2022 79.0% -0.1%
2023 79.0% +0.0%
2024 78.9% -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 65.2% 65.2% 65.2% 1
1990s 68.1% 65.5% 70.7% 10
2000s 72.5% 71.2% 73.8% 10
2010s 77.0% 74.1% 78.7% 10
2020s 78.8% 78.1% 79.0% 5

Countries ranked near SDG: Small Island Developing States

  1. 68 Togo 35.8% compare
  2. 69 Burundi 34.6% compare
  3. 70 Cambodia 32.1% compare
  4. 71 Mozambique 30.8% compare
  5. 72 Pakistan 29.6% compare
  6. 73 Senegal 27.2% compare
  7. 74 Benin 25.1% compare

See the full ranking of 286 places →

More education data for SDG: Small Island Developing States

All data for SDG: Small Island Developing States →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in SDG: Small Island Developing States?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in SDG: Small Island Developing States was 78.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in SDG: Small Island Developing States?
The highest recorded value was 79.0% in 2021.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in SDG: Small Island Developing States?
The lowest recorded value was 65.2% in 1989.
How does SDG: Small Island Developing States rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes?
SDG: Small Island Developing States ranks 71st out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in SDG: Small Island Developing States?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this SDG: Small Island Developing States 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.

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Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in SDG: Small Island Developing States. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-both-sexes-percent-2/sdg-small-island-developing-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
286 places, 9,550 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release