Literacy rate, adult male in Kuwait

Kuwait: Literacy rate, adult male was 97.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
97.0%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
31st
of 88 countries
All-time high
97.0%
in 2020
All-time low
68.0%
in 1975
Years of data
15
1975–2020

Literacy rate, adult male in Kuwait, 1975–2020

0204060801001975199720201975: 68 % of males ages 15 and above1980: 72.8 % of males ages 15 and above1985: 78.2 % of males ages 15 and above1995: 81.1 % of males ages 15 and above2005: 94.5 % of males ages 15 and above2006: 94.5 % of males ages 15 and above2007: 94.8 % of males ages 15 and above2008: 95 % of males ages 15 and above2010: 95.5 % of males ages 15 and above2012: 95.8 % of males ages 15 and above2013: 96.3 % of males ages 15 and above2015: 96.4 % of males ages 15 and above2017: 96.7 % of males ages 15 and above2018: 96.7 % of males ages 15 and above2020: 97 % of males ages 15 and above

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15 and above.

Analysis

Kuwait recorded 97.0% for literacy rate, adult male in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in Kuwait peaked at 97.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 68.0%, in 1975.

Kuwait ranks 31st of 88 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Literacy rate, adult male in Kuwait, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) in Kuwait, 1975 to 2020.
Year % of males ages 15 and above Change
1975 68.0%
1980 72.8% +7.0%
1985 78.2% +7.4%
1995 81.1% +3.7%
2005 94.5% +16.4%
2006 94.5% +0.1%
2007 94.8% +0.3%
2008 95.0% +0.2%
2010 95.5% +0.6%
2012 95.8% +0.3%
2013 96.3% +0.5%
2015 96.4% +0.0%
2017 96.7% +0.3%
2018 96.7% -0.0%
2020 97.0% +0.4%

Kuwait compared with similar countries

  • Kuwait's 97.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 98.6%, 98% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
  • Kuwait's 97.0% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 96.6%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 68.0% 68.0% 68.0% 1
1980s 75.5% 72.8% 78.2% 2
1990s 81.1% 81.1% 81.1% 1
2000s 94.7% 94.5% 95.0% 4
2010s 96.2% 95.5% 96.7% 6
2020s 97.0% 97.0% 97.0% 1

Countries ranked near Kuwait

  1. 28 Vietnam 97.2% compare
  2. 29 Venezuela 97.2% compare
  3. 30 Panama 97.1% compare
  4. 32 Peru 97.0% compare
  5. 33 Malaysia 96.8% compare
  6. 34 Jordan 96.6% compare

See the full ranking of 127 places →

More education data for Kuwait

All data for Kuwait →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, adult male in Kuwait?
Literacy rate, adult male in Kuwait was 97.0% in 2020, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Kuwait?
The highest recorded value was 97.0% in 2020.
What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Kuwait?
The lowest recorded value was 68.0% in 1975.
How does Kuwait rank for literacy rate, adult male?
Kuwait ranks 31st out of 88 countries with data for 2020.
Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in Kuwait?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kuwait 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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Literacy rate, adult male in Kuwait. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-adult-male-percent-of-males-ages-15-and-above/kuwait/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above)
Unit
% of males ages 15 and above
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
127 places, 2,578 data points, 1974–2024
Last refreshed

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.