Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean

UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes was 85.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
85.2%
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
52nd
of 201 groups
All-time high
85.2%
in 2024
All-time low
56.9%
in 1976
Years of data
51
1974–2024

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean, 1974–2024

020406080197419992024

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean recorded 85.2% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean peaked at 85.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 56.9%, in 1976.

That places UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean 52nd 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 51 years of available data.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean, year by year

Annual values for Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%) in UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean, 1974 to 2024.
Year % Change
1974 56.9%
1975 56.9% +0.0%
1976 56.9% -0.0%
1977 56.9% +0.0%
1978 56.9% +0.0%
1979 56.9% +0.0%
1980 56.9% +0.0%
1981 57.6% +1.3%
1982 58.3% +1.2%
1983 59.0% +1.2%
1984 59.6% +1.1%
1985 60.2% +1.0%
1986 60.7% +0.8%
1987 61.1% +0.7%
1988 62.0% +1.5%
1989 62.6% +0.9%
1990 62.8% +0.4%
1991 63.5% +1.1%
1992 64.2% +1.1%
1993 65.0% +1.1%
1994 65.7% +1.2%
1995 66.5% +1.2%
1996 66.9% +0.7%
1997 67.7% +1.1%
1998 68.6% +1.4%
1999 69.1% +0.7%
2000 69.5% +0.6%
2001 69.8% +0.5%
2002 69.5% -0.4%
2003 70.4% +1.3%
2004 71.1% +1.0%
2005 72.1% +1.4%
2006 72.7% +0.9%
2007 74.1% +1.9%
2008 74.6% +0.8%
2009 75.0% +0.5%
2010 75.1% +0.1%
2011 76.2% +1.5%
2012 77.5% +1.7%
2013 77.7% +0.2%
2014 78.7% +1.2%
2015 78.9% +0.3%
2016 80.3% +1.8%
2017 80.9% +0.7%
2018 81.5% +0.8%
2019 82.2% +0.8%
2020 82.6% +0.5%
2021 83.2% +0.8%
2022 84.0% +0.9%
2023 84.6% +0.7%
2024 85.2% +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 56.9% 56.9% 56.9% 6
1980s 59.8% 56.9% 62.6% 10
1990s 66.0% 62.8% 69.1% 10
2000s 71.9% 69.5% 75.0% 10
2010s 78.9% 75.1% 82.2% 10
2020s 83.9% 82.6% 85.2% 5

Countries ranked near UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean

  1. 49 Nicaragua 60.7% compare
  2. 50 Namibia 59.0% compare
  3. 51 Oman 58.4% compare
  4. 52 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 54.3% compare
  5. 53 Tanzania, United Republic of 53.9% compare
  6. 54 Guatemala 53.1% compare
  7. 55 Tunisia 52.2% compare

See the full ranking of 286 places →

More education data for UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean

All data for UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean was 85.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean?
The highest recorded value was 85.2% in 2024.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean?
The lowest recorded value was 56.9% in 1976.
How does UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes?
UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean ranks 52nd out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean 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 UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-both-sexes-percent-2/unicef-latin-america-and-caribbean/

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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