Literacy rate, adult total in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC): Literacy rate, adult total was 66.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC), 1986–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult total in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) is 66.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) peaked at 66.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 43.7%, in 1986.
Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) ranks 37th of 39 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult total in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC), year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 43.7% | — |
| 1987 | 44.3% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 44.7% | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 45.3% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 45.8% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 46.2% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 46.5% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 46.8% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 47.2% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 47.5% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 48.0% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 48.6% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 49.1% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 49.9% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 50.9% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 51.7% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 52.5% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 53.0% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 53.5% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 53.8% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 52.1% | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 53.5% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 53.8% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 54.0% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 55.1% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 57.3% | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 58.7% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 59.7% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 60.3% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 60.9% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 61.5% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 62.6% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 64.5% | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 64.7% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 65.0% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 65.4% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 65.9% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 66.3% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 66.6% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.5% | 43.7% | 45.3% | 4 |
| 1990s | 47.6% | 45.8% | 49.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 52.9% | 50.9% | 54.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.5% | 55.1% | 64.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.8% | 65.0% | 66.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
More education data for Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 55.15 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 148.37 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1578 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 41.2% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 55.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) was 66.6% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- The highest recorded value was 66.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.7% in 1986.
- How does Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) ranks 37th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) 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.