Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) (literacy) in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)
ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501): Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) (literacy) was 29.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501), 1978–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) stood at 29.9%. That is the highest value across all 47 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 32.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) peaked at 29.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 1978.
That places ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) 155th out of 201 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) (literacy) in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 5.5% | — |
| 1979 | 5.5% | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 5.6% | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 5.7% | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 5.8% | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 6.8% | +16.7% |
| 1984 | 6.8% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 6.8% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 6.9% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 7.0% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 7.0% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 7.1% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 7.2% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 7.2% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 7.3% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 6.9% | -6.4% |
| 1994 | 7.0% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 7.2% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 7.5% | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 7.8% | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 8.4% | +6.9% |
| 1999 | 8.7% | +4.2% |
| 2000 | 9.0% | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 9.5% | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 9.8% | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 13.8% | +40.7% |
| 2004 | 14.0% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 14.0% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 11.4% | -18.7% |
| 2007 | 11.8% | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 13.0% | +9.7% |
| 2009 | 16.2% | +25.0% |
| 2010 | 16.7% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 18.3% | +9.7% |
| 2012 | 20.9% | +14.1% |
| 2013 | 21.7% | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 22.6% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 24.0% | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 23.2% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 24.4% | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 25.1% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 25.8% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 26.7% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 27.5% | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 28.4% | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 29.2% | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 29.9% | +2.5% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) (literacy) in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) 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 | +40.7% | 9.8% | 13.8% |
| 2009 | +25.0% | 13.0% | 16.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.5% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 6.5% | 5.6% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.5% | 6.9% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.3% | 9.0% | 16.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.3% | 16.7% | 25.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.3% | 26.7% | 29.9% | 5 |
More education data for ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 28.97 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 7.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 7.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 40.79 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.5445 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.12 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 55.62 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.7891 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) was 29.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- The highest recorded value was 29.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 1978.
- How does ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
- ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) ranks 155th out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release