Literacy rate, adult total in World
World: Literacy rate, adult total was 87.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in World, 1975–2024
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 World stood at 87.7%. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in World peaked at 87.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 65.4%, in 1975.
World ranks 18th of 39 groups on this measure, 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 World, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 65.4% | — |
| 1976 | 65.6% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 65.9% | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 66.5% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 67.2% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 67.8% | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 68.3% | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 68.9% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 69.5% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 70.2% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 70.7% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 71.3% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 71.9% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 73.5% | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 74.1% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 74.6% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 75.1% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 75.5% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 76.0% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 76.4% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 76.9% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 77.3% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 79.3% | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 80.5% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 80.9% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 81.1% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 81.4% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 81.7% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 82.2% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 82.6% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 82.6% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 82.5% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 83.1% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 83.5% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 83.8% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 84.4% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 84.7% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 84.9% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 85.2% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 85.6% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 86.0% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 86.3% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 86.5% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 86.8% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 86.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 87.0% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 87.2% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 87.4% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 87.6% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 87.7% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 66.1% | 65.4% | 67.2% | 5 |
| 1980s | 70.6% | 67.8% | 74.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.2% | 74.6% | 80.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 82.5% | 81.1% | 83.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.7% | 84.4% | 86.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.4% | 87.0% | 87.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near World
More education data for World
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 651.68 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 780.85 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0959 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 65.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in World?
- Literacy rate, adult total in World was 87.7% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 87.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.4% in 1975.
- How does World rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- World ranks 18th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.