Literacy rate, adult male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Literacy rate, adult male was 83.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1974–2024
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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 83.2%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 83.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 51.7%, in 1974.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 27th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 51.7% | — |
| 1975 | 52.1% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 52.4% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 52.9% | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 53.5% | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 54.0% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 54.6% | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 55.1% | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 55.8% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 56.2% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 56.9% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 57.5% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 58.2% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 58.9% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 59.6% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 60.4% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 61.9% | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 62.5% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 64.5% | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 66.7% | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 67.3% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 68.1% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 68.8% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 69.5% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 70.3% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 71.0% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 71.7% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 72.5% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 73.3% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 76.4% | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 77.0% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 77.5% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 76.5% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 77.1% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 78.3% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 79.5% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 79.8% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 79.6% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 80.9% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 81.0% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 81.2% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 81.8% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 81.1% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 81.5% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 81.2% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 81.2% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 81.7% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 82.0% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 82.5% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 82.8% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 83.2% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 52.8% | 51.7% | 54.0% | 6 |
| 1980s | 57.3% | 54.6% | 60.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 67.1% | 61.9% | 71.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.0% | 71.7% | 79.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.9% | 79.6% | 81.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.4% | 81.7% | 83.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More education data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.29 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.113 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 68.09 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91.90 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 63.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 31.7% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.65 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Literacy rate, adult male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 83.2% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 83.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.7% in 1974.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for literacy rate, adult male?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 27th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.