Literacy rate, adult male in Small states

Small states: Literacy rate, adult male was 89.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
89.7%
Change on year
up 0.0%
Rank
17th
of 39 groups
All-time high
89.7%
in 2019
All-time low
78.7%
in 1986
Years of data
39
1986–2024

Literacy rate, adult male in Small states, 1986–2024

0204060801986200520241986: 78.7 % of males ages 15 and above1987: 79 % of males ages 15 and above1988: 79.2 % of males ages 15 and above1989: 79.7 % of males ages 15 and above1990: 80 % of males ages 15 and above1991: 80.3 % of males ages 15 and above1992: 80.4 % of males ages 15 and above1993: 80.7 % of males ages 15 and above1994: 80.9 % of males ages 15 and above1995: 81.3 % of males ages 15 and above1996: 81.7 % of males ages 15 and above1997: 82.1 % of males ages 15 and above1998: 82.7 % of males ages 15 and above1999: 83 % of males ages 15 and above2000: 83.7 % of males ages 15 and above2001: 84 % of males ages 15 and above2002: 84.5 % of males ages 15 and above2003: 84.9 % of males ages 15 and above2004: 85.3 % of males ages 15 and above2005: 84.3 % of males ages 15 and above2006: 83.9 % of males ages 15 and above2007: 84.4 % of males ages 15 and above2008: 85 % of males ages 15 and above2009: 85.1 % of males ages 15 and above2010: 85.9 % of males ages 15 and above2011: 86.2 % of males ages 15 and above2012: 86.5 % of males ages 15 and above2013: 86.8 % of males ages 15 and above2014: 87.1 % of males ages 15 and above2015: 87.8 % of males ages 15 and above2016: 89.2 % of males ages 15 and above2017: 89.5 % of males ages 15 and above2018: 89.6 % of males ages 15 and above2019: 89.7 % of males ages 15 and above2020: 89.5 % of males ages 15 and above2021: 89.5 % of males ages 15 and above2022: 89.6 % of males ages 15 and above2023: 89.6 % of males ages 15 and above2024: 89.7 % 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

Small states recorded 89.7% for literacy rate, adult male in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in Small states peaked at 89.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 78.7%, in 1986.

Small states ranks 17th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Literacy rate, adult male in Small states, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) in Small states, 1986 to 2024.
Year % of males ages 15 and above Change
1986 78.7%
1987 79.0% +0.5%
1988 79.2% +0.2%
1989 79.7% +0.6%
1990 80.0% +0.5%
1991 80.3% +0.3%
1992 80.4% +0.2%
1993 80.7% +0.3%
1994 80.9% +0.3%
1995 81.3% +0.4%
1996 81.7% +0.6%
1997 82.1% +0.4%
1998 82.7% +0.7%
1999 83.0% +0.4%
2000 83.7% +0.9%
2001 84.0% +0.4%
2002 84.5% +0.6%
2003 84.9% +0.5%
2004 85.3% +0.5%
2005 84.3% -1.2%
2006 83.9% -0.5%
2007 84.4% +0.6%
2008 85.0% +0.7%
2009 85.1% +0.1%
2010 85.9% +1.0%
2011 86.2% +0.3%
2012 86.5% +0.3%
2013 86.8% +0.4%
2014 87.1% +0.3%
2015 87.8% +0.8%
2016 89.2% +1.7%
2017 89.5% +0.3%
2018 89.6% +0.2%
2019 89.7% +0.1%
2020 89.5% -0.2%
2021 89.5% +0.0%
2022 89.6% +0.0%
2023 89.6% +0.1%
2024 89.7% +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 79.1% 78.7% 79.7% 4
1990s 81.3% 80.0% 83.0% 10
2000s 84.5% 83.7% 85.3% 10
2010s 87.8% 85.9% 89.7% 10
2020s 89.6% 89.5% 89.7% 5

Countries ranked near Small states

  1. 14 Bolivia 98.8% compare
  2. 15 Bahrain 98.7% compare
  3. 16 Uruguay 98.6% compare
  4. 17 Oman 98.6% compare
  5. 18 Saudi Arabia 98.6% compare
  6. 19 Philippines 98.4% compare
  7. 20 China 98.4% compare
  8. 20 Mongolia 98.4% compare

See the full ranking of 127 places →

More education data for Small states

All data for Small states →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, adult male in Small states?
Literacy rate, adult male in Small states was 89.7% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Small states?
The highest recorded value was 89.7% in 2019.
What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Small states?
The lowest recorded value was 78.7% in 1986.
How does Small states rank for literacy rate, adult male?
Small states ranks 17th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in Small states?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Small states 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 Small states. 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/small-states/

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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.