Literacy rate, adult male in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Literacy rate, adult male was 89.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult male in Low & middle income, 1975–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15 and above.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, adult male in Low & middle income stood at 89.4%. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in Low & middle income peaked at 89.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 68.9%, in 1975.
That places Low & middle income 20th out of 39 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult male in Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 68.9% | — |
| 1976 | 69.0% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 69.3% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 69.9% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 70.5% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 71.1% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 71.6% | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 72.1% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 72.6% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 73.2% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 73.7% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 74.2% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 74.8% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 76.4% | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 76.9% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 77.4% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 77.8% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 78.4% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 78.9% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 79.3% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 79.8% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 80.2% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 81.7% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 83.3% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 83.7% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 83.9% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 84.1% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 84.5% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 85.1% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 85.4% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 85.5% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 85.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 85.7% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 86.0% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 86.3% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 86.6% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 86.9% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 87.1% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 87.4% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 87.6% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 88.0% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 88.3% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 88.4% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 88.7% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 88.6% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 88.8% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 88.9% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 89.1% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 89.3% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 89.4% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 69.5% | 68.9% | 70.5% | 5 |
| 1980s | 73.7% | 71.1% | 76.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 80.0% | 77.4% | 83.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 85.2% | 83.9% | 86.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.8% | 86.6% | 88.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.1% | 88.8% | 89.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More education data for Low & middle income
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 701.53 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 554.22 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 26.3% (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.3% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1043 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 27.98 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult male in Low & middle income?
- Literacy rate, adult male in Low & middle income was 89.4% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 89.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.9% in 1975.
- How does Low & middle income rank for literacy rate, adult male?
- Low & middle income ranks 20th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low & middle income 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.