Literacy rate, adult total in IBRD only
IBRD only: Literacy rate, adult total was 90.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in IBRD only, 1975–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, adult total in IBRD only stood at 90.7%. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in IBRD only peaked at 90.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 61.3%, in 1975.
That places IBRD only 15th out of 39 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 IBRD only, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 61.3% | — |
| 1976 | 61.5% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 61.9% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 62.7% | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 63.6% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 64.4% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 65.2% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 66.0% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 66.7% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 67.6% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 68.3% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 69.0% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 69.9% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 72.0% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 72.7% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 73.3% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 74.0% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 74.6% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 75.2% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 75.9% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 76.5% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 77.1% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 80.1% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 81.8% | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 82.3% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 82.8% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 83.1% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 83.5% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 84.1% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 84.5% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 84.5% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 84.8% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 85.7% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 86.2% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 86.6% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 87.2% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 87.5% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 87.8% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 88.0% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 88.4% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 88.7% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 88.9% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 89.1% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 89.3% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 89.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 89.6% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 89.9% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 90.2% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 90.4% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 90.7% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 62.2% | 61.3% | 63.6% | 5 |
| 1980s | 68.2% | 64.4% | 72.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.1% | 73.3% | 82.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 84.6% | 82.8% | 86.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.4% | 87.2% | 89.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.2% | 89.6% | 90.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near IBRD only
- 12 Montenegro 98.5% compare
- 13 Philippines 98.5% compare
- 14 Maldives 98.2% compare
- 15 Samoa 98.0% compare
- 16 Palestine, State of 97.9% compare
- 17 Saudi Arabia 97.9% compare
- 18 Bahrain 97.8% compare
More education data for IBRD only
- Population ages 15-64 68.1% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 443.80 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 21.35 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.94 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 21.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0891 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 425.77 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in IBRD only?
- Literacy rate, adult total in IBRD only was 90.7% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in IBRD only?
- The highest recorded value was 90.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in IBRD only?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.3% in 1975.
- How does IBRD only rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- IBRD only ranks 15th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in IBRD only?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this IBRD only 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.