Literacy rate, adult total in Early-demographic dividend
Early-demographic dividend: Literacy rate, adult total was 82.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Early-demographic dividend, 1975–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
Early-demographic dividend recorded 82.1% for literacy rate, adult total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Early-demographic dividend peaked at 82.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 48.7%, in 1975.
Early-demographic dividend ranks 22nd of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult total in Early-demographic dividend, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 48.7% | — |
| 1976 | 49.0% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 49.6% | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 50.2% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 50.8% | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 51.4% | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 52.0% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 52.6% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 53.2% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 54.1% | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 54.7% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 55.3% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 56.2% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 56.9% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 57.6% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 58.4% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 59.1% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 60.0% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 60.8% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 61.6% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 62.5% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 63.2% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 64.0% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 67.0% | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 67.7% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 68.4% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 69.0% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 69.7% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 70.6% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 71.3% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 71.3% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 71.3% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 72.3% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 73.1% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 73.9% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 75.3% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 75.8% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 76.0% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 76.7% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 77.5% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 78.4% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 79.1% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 79.3% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 79.7% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 79.8% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 80.3% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 80.7% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 81.2% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 81.7% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 82.1% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 49.7% | 48.7% | 50.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 54.4% | 51.4% | 57.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 62.4% | 58.4% | 67.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.1% | 68.4% | 73.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 77.8% | 75.3% | 79.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.2% | 80.3% | 82.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Early-demographic dividend
More education data for Early-demographic dividend
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 13.97 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 320.06 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 364.78 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 26.9% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 66.3% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1027 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in Early-demographic dividend?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Early-demographic dividend was 82.1% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Early-demographic dividend?
- The highest recorded value was 82.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Early-demographic dividend?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.7% in 1975.
- How does Early-demographic dividend rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Early-demographic dividend ranks 22nd out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Early-demographic dividend?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Early-demographic dividend data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult total (% of people 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.