Literacy rate, adult male in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Literacy rate, adult male was 69.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult male in Africa Western and Central, 1985–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15 and above.
Analysis
Africa Western and Central recorded 69.4% for literacy rate, adult male in 2024. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in Africa Western and Central peaked at 69.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 52.3%, in 1985.
That places Africa Western and Central 39th out of 39 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.
Literacy rate, adult male in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 52.3% | — |
| 1986 | 52.6% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 53.3% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 54.0% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 54.7% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 55.4% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 56.0% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 56.7% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 57.5% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 58.2% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 58.1% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 58.8% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 59.6% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 61.1% | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 61.8% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 59.6% | -3.6% |
| 2001 | 60.7% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 61.2% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 61.5% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 63.0% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 63.0% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 63.4% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 60.9% | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 61.1% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 61.4% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 61.5% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 62.3% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 62.9% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 63.6% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 64.1% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 64.8% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 65.0% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 66.0% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 69.1% | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 68.6% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 68.7% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 68.8% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 69.1% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 69.3% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 69.4% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 53.4% | 52.3% | 54.7% | 5 |
| 1990s | 58.3% | 55.4% | 61.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.6% | 59.6% | 63.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.8% | 61.5% | 69.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.1% | 68.7% | 69.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
More education data for Africa Western and Central
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.08 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 35.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 75.77 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9058 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1455 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 56.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult male in Africa Western and Central?
- Literacy rate, adult male in Africa Western and Central was 69.4% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 69.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.3% in 1985.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for literacy rate, adult male?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 39th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.