Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Latin America
MDG: Latin America: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 96.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Latin America, 1974–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Latin America is 96.2%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Latin America peaked at 96.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 74.5%, in 1974.
That places MDG: Latin America 53rd out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Latin America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 74.5% | — |
| 1975 | 74.5% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 75.1% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 75.7% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 76.4% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 77.0% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 77.7% | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 78.3% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 78.9% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 79.4% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 80.0% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 80.5% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 81.0% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 81.4% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 82.0% | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 82.5% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 83.0% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 83.7% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 84.5% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 85.2% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 85.9% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 86.6% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 87.1% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 87.4% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 87.8% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 88.3% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 88.7% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 88.9% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 89.3% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 90.1% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 90.5% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 90.3% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 90.8% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 91.9% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 92.3% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 92.5% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 92.5% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 93.3% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 93.6% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 93.6% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 94.2% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 94.4% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 94.9% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 94.9% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 95.1% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 95.3% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 95.4% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 95.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 95.8% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 96.0% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 96.2% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 75.5% | 74.5% | 77.0% | 6 |
| 1980s | 80.2% | 77.7% | 82.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 85.9% | 83.0% | 88.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 90.5% | 88.7% | 92.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 94.2% | 92.5% | 95.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.8% | 95.4% | 96.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near MDG: Latin America
More education data for MDG: Latin America
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 19.46 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 60.47 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 650,773 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.6143 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.37 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -2.64 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 29.96 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -2.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 30.47 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Latin America?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Latin America was 96.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in MDG: Latin America?
- The highest recorded value was 96.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in MDG: Latin America?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.5% in 1974.
- How does MDG: Latin America rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- MDG: Latin America ranks 53rd out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in MDG: Latin America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MDG: Latin America 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