Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in UNICEF: West and Central Africa
UNICEF: West and Central Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male was 52.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, 1985–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
UNICEF: West and Central Africa recorded 52.0% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in 2024. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in UNICEF: West and Central Africa peaked at 52.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 26.1%, in 1985.
That places UNICEF: West and Central Africa 178th out of 200 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 26.1% | — |
| 1986 | 26.1% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 26.5% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 27.2% | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 27.6% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 28.0% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 28.5% | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 28.8% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 29.2% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 29.6% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 30.2% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 30.8% | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 32.1% | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 33.9% | +5.5% |
| 1999 | 34.9% | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 32.5% | -7.1% |
| 2001 | 33.5% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 34.3% | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 34.9% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 36.2% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 36.4% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 37.7% | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 37.0% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 37.6% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 39.1% | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 39.7% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 41.4% | +4.3% |
| 2012 | 42.5% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 43.5% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 43.9% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 44.2% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 45.1% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 46.5% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 50.1% | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 50.2% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 50.6% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 51.0% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 51.3% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 51.7% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 52.0% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 26.7% | 26.1% | 27.6% | 5 |
| 1990s | 30.6% | 28.0% | 34.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.9% | 32.5% | 39.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.7% | 39.7% | 50.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.3% | 50.6% | 52.0% | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: West and Central Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 4.92 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 20.41 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.9224 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 22.91 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.5411 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 8.34 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.9535 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.20 million (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.46 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.73 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in UNICEF: West and Central Africa was 52.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male recorded in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 52.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male recorded in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.1% in 1985.
- How does UNICEF: West and Central Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male?
- UNICEF: West and Central Africa ranks 178th out of 200 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male rising or falling in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: West and Central Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release