Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118)
ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 59.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118), 1987–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118) recorded 59.6% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118) peaked at 59.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 37.7%, in 1987.
That places ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118) 187th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 37.7% | — |
| 1988 | 38.2% | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 38.8% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 39.4% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 40.0% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 40.6% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 41.2% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 41.8% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 42.6% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 43.1% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 44.0% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 44.9% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 45.7% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 46.4% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 47.3% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 47.2% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 47.8% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 48.3% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 48.6% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 46.1% | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 47.2% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 47.1% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 47.7% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 48.2% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 50.6% | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 52.0% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 53.1% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 53.7% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 54.3% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 55.0% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 56.4% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 57.3% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 57.5% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 57.7% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 58.2% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 58.8% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 59.2% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 59.6% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 38.2% | 37.7% | 38.8% | 3 |
| 1990s | 42.3% | 39.4% | 45.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.4% | 46.1% | 48.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.8% | 48.2% | 57.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.7% | 57.7% | 59.6% | 5 |
More education data for ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.68 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 16.21 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.08 million (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 4.38 % change on previous year (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.31 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 5.51 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.63 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 3.02 million (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 2.06 million (2021)
All data for ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118)?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118) was 59.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118)?
- The highest recorded value was 59.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118)?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.7% in 1987.
- How does ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118) ranks 187th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: Least Developed Countries (unsdcode:98118) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release