Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508)
ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 78.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508), 1973–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) recorded 78.0% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) peaked at 78.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 36.4%, in 1973.
ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) ranks 108th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 36.4% | — |
| 1974 | 36.6% | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 36.9% | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 37.2% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 37.5% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 38.1% | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 38.6% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 39.3% | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 39.9% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 40.6% | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 40.2% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 41.0% | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 41.9% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 42.8% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 43.8% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 44.8% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 45.9% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 47.0% | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 48.1% | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 49.2% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 50.9% | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 52.0% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 53.0% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 54.2% | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 55.5% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 57.0% | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 58.2% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 59.3% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 60.7% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 61.8% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 66.4% | +7.4% |
| 2004 | 67.4% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 68.0% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 65.8% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 66.4% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 67.4% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 69.2% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 70.0% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 72.6% | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 73.8% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 75.0% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 74.6% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 75.5% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 73.2% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 74.0% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 74.7% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 75.2% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 75.7% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 76.2% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 76.8% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 77.4% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 78.0% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 37.3% | 36.4% | 38.6% | 7 |
| 1980s | 42.0% | 39.3% | 45.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.5% | 47.0% | 58.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.2% | 59.3% | 69.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.9% | 70.0% | 75.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.8% | 75.7% | 78.0% | 5 |
More education data for ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.4091 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 13.85 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2.05 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 3.4 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.67 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.58 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 28.59 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.01 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.16 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.6975 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508)?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) was 78.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508)?
- The highest recorded value was 78.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508)?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.4% in 1973.
- How does ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) ranks 108th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCWA: Arab Middle-income Countries (mics) (unsdcode:98508) 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