Literacy rate, adult total in Upper middle income
Upper middle income: Literacy rate, adult total was 96.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Upper middle income, 1974–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
Upper middle income recorded 96.2% for literacy rate, adult total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Upper middle income peaked at 96.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 66.5%, in 1974.
Upper middle income ranks 10th of 39 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult total in Upper middle income, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 66.5% | — |
| 1975 | 66.5% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 66.8% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 67.0% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 68.0% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 69.1% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 70.1% | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 71.0% | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 72.0% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 72.9% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 73.9% | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 74.8% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 75.7% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 76.5% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 79.8% | +4.2% |
| 1989 | 80.4% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 81.1% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 81.6% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 82.2% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 82.7% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 83.3% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 83.8% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 84.3% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 88.6% | +5.1% |
| 1998 | 89.0% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 89.4% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 89.8% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 90.1% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 90.5% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 90.9% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 91.3% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 91.5% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 91.8% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 92.8% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 93.3% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 93.7% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 93.8% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 94.0% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 94.3% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 94.4% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 94.8% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 94.9% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 95.1% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 95.2% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 95.3% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 95.6% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 95.7% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 95.8% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 95.9% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 96.0% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 96.2% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 67.3% | 66.5% | 69.1% | 6 |
| 1980s | 74.7% | 70.1% | 80.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 84.6% | 81.1% | 89.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 91.6% | 89.8% | 93.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 94.7% | 93.8% | 95.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.9% | 95.7% | 96.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Upper middle income
- 7 Tonga 99.5% compare
- 8 Serbia 99.3% compare
- 9 Uruguay 98.9% compare
- 10 United Arab Emirates 98.8% compare
- 11 Mongolia 98.6% compare
- 12 Montenegro 98.5% compare
- 13 Philippines 98.5% compare
More education data for Upper middle income
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 233.28 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 237.35 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.5256 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0774 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 68.5% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 13.41 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 19.6% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in Upper middle income?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Upper middle income was 96.2% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Upper middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 96.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Upper middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.5% in 1974.
- How does Upper middle income rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Upper middle income ranks 10th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Upper middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Upper 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.