Literacy rate, adult total in IDA & IBRD total
IDA & IBRD total: Literacy rate, adult total was 85.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in IDA & IBRD total, 1975–2024
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 IDA & IBRD total is 85.8%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in IDA & IBRD total peaked at 85.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 58.5%, in 1975.
IDA & IBRD total ranks 20th 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 IDA & IBRD total, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 58.5% | — |
| 1976 | 58.6% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 59.0% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 59.7% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 60.5% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 61.2% | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 62.0% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 62.6% | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 63.3% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 64.1% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 64.8% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 65.5% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 66.3% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 68.2% | +2.9% |
| 1989 | 68.8% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 69.5% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 70.0% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 70.7% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 71.2% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 71.8% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 72.4% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 73.0% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 75.5% | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 77.0% | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 77.5% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 77.8% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 78.2% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 78.6% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 79.2% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 79.6% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 79.6% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 79.5% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 80.2% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 80.6% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 81.0% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 81.8% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 82.2% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 82.4% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 82.8% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 83.2% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 83.6% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 84.0% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 84.2% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 84.6% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 84.7% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 84.9% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 85.1% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 85.4% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 85.6% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 85.8% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 59.3% | 58.5% | 60.5% | 5 |
| 1980s | 64.7% | 61.2% | 68.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 72.9% | 69.5% | 77.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.4% | 77.8% | 81.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.3% | 81.8% | 84.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.4% | 84.9% | 85.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near IDA & IBRD total
More education data for IDA & IBRD total
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 707.69 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 561.46 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 26.0% (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.3% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1022 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 28.51 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in IDA & IBRD total?
- Literacy rate, adult total in IDA & IBRD total was 85.8% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in IDA & IBRD total?
- The highest recorded value was 85.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in IDA & IBRD total?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.5% in 1975.
- How does IDA & IBRD total rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- IDA & IBRD total ranks 20th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in IDA & IBRD total?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this IDA & IBRD total 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.