Literacy rate, adult total in Small states
Small states: Literacy rate, adult total was 88.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Small states, 1986–2024
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 Small states stood at 88.0%. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Small states peaked at 88.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 76.3%, in 1986.
That places Small states 16th 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 39 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult total in Small states, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 76.3% | — |
| 1987 | 76.7% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 77.2% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 77.7% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 78.1% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 78.3% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 78.5% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 78.8% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 79.0% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 79.3% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 79.8% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 80.2% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 80.7% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 81.1% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 81.7% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 82.0% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 82.5% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 83.0% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 83.4% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 82.6% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 82.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 82.8% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 83.4% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 83.5% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 84.1% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 84.5% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 84.7% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 85.0% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 85.3% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 85.9% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 87.1% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 87.3% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 87.5% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 87.7% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 87.6% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 87.7% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 87.8% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 87.9% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 88.0% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 77.0% | 76.3% | 77.7% | 4 |
| 1990s | 79.4% | 78.1% | 81.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 82.7% | 81.7% | 83.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.9% | 84.1% | 87.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.8% | 87.6% | 88.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Small states
- 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
- 19 Qatar 97.8% compare
More education data for Small states
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2538 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 243,069 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.48 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 66.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in Small states?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Small states was 88.0% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 88.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.3% in 1986.
- How does Small states rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Small states ranks 16th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Small states 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.