Literacy rate, adult total in Middle income
Middle income: Literacy rate, adult total was 87.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Middle income, 1975–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
Middle income recorded 87.8% for literacy rate, adult total in 2024. 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 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Middle income peaked at 87.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 58.7%, in 1975.
That places Middle income 17th 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 Middle income, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 58.7% | — |
| 1976 | 58.9% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 59.2% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 60.0% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 60.8% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 61.6% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 62.4% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 63.1% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 63.8% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 64.6% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 65.3% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 66.0% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 66.9% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 68.9% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 69.5% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 70.2% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 70.8% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 71.5% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 72.2% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 72.8% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 73.4% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 74.0% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 76.7% | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 78.4% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 78.9% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 79.2% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 79.6% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 80.0% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 80.7% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 81.1% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 81.1% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 81.2% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 81.9% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 82.3% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 82.7% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 83.5% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 83.8% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 84.1% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 84.5% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 84.9% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 85.4% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 85.8% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 86.0% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 86.4% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 86.5% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 86.8% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 87.0% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 87.3% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 87.5% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 87.8% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 59.5% | 58.7% | 60.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 65.2% | 61.6% | 69.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.9% | 70.2% | 78.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.0% | 79.2% | 82.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.1% | 83.5% | 86.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.3% | 86.8% | 87.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Middle income
More education data for Middle income
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 25.11 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0986 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 66.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 589.09 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 510.99 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in Middle income?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Middle income was 87.8% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 87.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.7% in 1975.
- How does Middle income rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Middle income ranks 17th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle income 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.