Literacy rate, adult total in IDA only
IDA only: Literacy rate, adult total was 70.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in IDA only, 1981–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
IDA only recorded 70.9% for literacy rate, adult total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in IDA only peaked at 70.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 43.7%, in 1981.
That places IDA only 29th 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 44 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult total in IDA only, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 43.7% | — |
| 1982 | 44.0% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 44.3% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 44.7% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 45.1% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 45.5% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 45.9% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 46.9% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 47.4% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 47.9% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 48.3% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 48.7% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 49.2% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 49.9% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 50.6% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 51.1% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 51.8% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 53.3% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 54.2% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 55.0% | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 55.8% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 56.5% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 57.1% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 57.7% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 58.1% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 55.8% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 56.9% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 57.3% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 57.5% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 59.9% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 61.4% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 60.9% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 62.6% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 63.1% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 64.9% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 66.6% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 67.4% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 68.8% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 69.1% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 69.3% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 69.8% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 70.2% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 70.6% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 70.9% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 45.3% | 43.7% | 47.4% | 9 |
| 1990s | 50.5% | 47.9% | 54.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 56.8% | 55.0% | 58.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.5% | 59.9% | 69.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.2% | 69.3% | 70.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near IDA only
More education data for IDA only
- Population ages 15-64 58.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 182.50 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.00 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9749 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 37.5% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1438 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 87.10 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 IDA only?
- Literacy rate, adult total in IDA only was 70.9% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in IDA only?
- The highest recorded value was 70.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in IDA only?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.7% in 1981.
- How does IDA only rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- IDA only ranks 29th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in IDA only?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this IDA 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.
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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.