Literacy rate, adult total in Egypt
Egypt: Literacy rate, adult total was 79.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Egypt, 1976–2022
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
Egypt recorded 79.5% for literacy rate, adult total in 2022.
That represents a change of down 3.2% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Egypt peaked at 82.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 38.2%, in 1976.
That places Egypt 58th out of 89 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult total in Egypt, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 38.2% | — |
| 1986 | 44.4% | +16.3% |
| 1996 | 55.6% | +25.1% |
| 2005 | 67.3% | +21.1% |
| 2006 | 66.4% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 72.0% | +8.6% |
| 2012 | 73.9% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 72.4% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 71.2% | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 82.1% | +15.3% |
| 2022 | 79.5% | -3.2% |
Egypt compared with similar countries
- Egypt's 79.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 78.2%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Egypt's 79.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 94.4%, 84% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 38.2% | 38.2% | 38.2% | 1 |
| 1980s | 44.4% | 44.4% | 44.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 55.6% | 55.6% | 55.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 66.8% | 66.4% | 67.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 72.4% | 71.2% | 73.9% | 4 |
| 2020s | 80.8% | 79.5% | 82.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
More education data for Egypt
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 507,445 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 95,355 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 759,210 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 718,435 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.56 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.40 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1322 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in Egypt?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Egypt was 79.5% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 82.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.2% in 1976.
- How does Egypt rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Egypt ranks 58th out of 89 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Egypt 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.