Literacy rate, adult total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Literacy rate, adult total was 75.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1973–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan recorded 75.6% for literacy rate, adult total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 75.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 38.6%, in 1973.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 27th 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 52 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 38.6% | — |
| 1974 | 38.9% | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 39.2% | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 39.6% | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 40.1% | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 40.8% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 41.4% | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 42.0% | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 42.6% | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 43.4% | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 44.0% | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 44.8% | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 45.6% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 46.4% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 47.2% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 48.1% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 49.0% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 50.7% | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 51.5% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 53.1% | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 54.4% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 55.1% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 56.2% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 57.1% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 58.0% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 59.0% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 59.9% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 60.8% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 61.9% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 62.9% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 65.1% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 66.0% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 66.7% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 66.3% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 67.0% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 68.6% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 69.6% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 70.0% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 70.2% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 71.3% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 71.5% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 71.9% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 72.8% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 72.3% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 72.7% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 72.7% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 72.9% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 73.5% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 73.9% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 74.5% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 75.1% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 75.6% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 39.8% | 38.6% | 41.4% | 7 |
| 1980s | 45.3% | 42.0% | 49.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 55.5% | 50.7% | 59.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.5% | 60.8% | 69.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.8% | 70.0% | 72.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.5% | 73.5% | 75.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More education data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.29 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.113 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 68.09 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91.90 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 63.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 31.7% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.65 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 75.6% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 75.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.6% in 1973.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 27th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.