Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439)
ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 58.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439), 1988–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439) is 58.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439) peaked at 58.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 42.0%, in 1988.
ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439) ranks 188th of 203 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 42.0% | — |
| 1989 | 42.5% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 43.0% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 43.6% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 44.2% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 44.7% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 45.1% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 45.7% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 46.2% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 47.0% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 47.8% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 48.4% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 49.0% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 49.7% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 49.5% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 49.9% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 50.2% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 50.6% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 48.1% | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 49.0% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 49.5% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 49.8% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 50.7% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 52.7% | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 53.0% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 53.8% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 54.0% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 54.6% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 55.3% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 56.5% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 57.0% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 57.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 57.1% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 57.5% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 57.9% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 58.3% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 58.7% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 42.2% | 42.0% | 42.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 45.6% | 43.0% | 48.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.5% | 48.1% | 50.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.5% | 50.7% | 57.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.9% | 57.1% | 58.7% | 5 |
More education data for ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.65 million (2022)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.13 % change on previous year (2020)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.22 million (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 13.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 23.86 million (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 45.48 million (2024)
All data for ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439)?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439) was 58.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439)?
- The highest recorded value was 58.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439)?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.0% in 1988.
- How does ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439) ranks 188th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCAP: Wb Low Income Economies (wb_low) (unsdcode:98439) 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