Literacy rate, adult male in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Literacy rate, adult male was 74.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult male in Least developed countries, 1981–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult male in Least developed countries is 74.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in Least developed countries peaked at 74.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 51.9%, in 1981.
That places Least developed countries 36th out of 39 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult male in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 51.9% | — |
| 1982 | 52.2% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 52.4% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 52.7% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 53.0% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 53.3% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 53.7% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 54.9% | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 55.3% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 55.7% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 56.0% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 56.2% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 56.6% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 57.3% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 58.1% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 58.5% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 59.0% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 60.6% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 61.5% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 61.8% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 62.3% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 63.5% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 63.9% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 64.5% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 64.8% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 61.9% | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 62.6% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 62.8% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 63.4% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 65.9% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 67.3% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 66.5% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 68.4% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 68.8% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 70.6% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 72.3% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 72.9% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 73.2% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 73.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 73.4% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 73.8% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 74.2% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 74.5% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 74.7% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 53.3% | 51.9% | 55.3% | 9 |
| 1990s | 57.9% | 55.7% | 61.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.1% | 61.8% | 64.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.9% | 65.9% | 73.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.1% | 73.4% | 74.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More education data for Least developed countries
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 4.43 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 75.92 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 171.01 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1441 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 38.4% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult male in Least developed countries?
- Literacy rate, adult male in Least developed countries was 74.7% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 74.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.9% in 1981.
- How does Least developed countries rank for literacy rate, adult male?
- Least developed countries ranks 36th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.