Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: World
MDG: World: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 87.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
87.6%
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
77th
of 203 groups
All-time high
87.6%
in 2024
All-time low
64.2%
in 1976
Years of data
49
1976–2024
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: World, 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: World stood at 87.6%. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: World peaked at 87.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 64.2%, in 1976.
MDG: World ranks 77th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: World, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 64.2% | — |
| 1977 | 64.4% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 65.0% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 65.5% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 66.1% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 66.6% | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 67.2% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 67.8% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 68.4% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 69.0% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 69.5% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 70.0% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 71.8% | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 72.4% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 73.1% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 73.6% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 74.2% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 74.9% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 75.5% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 76.1% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 76.7% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 78.8% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 80.2% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 80.7% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 81.1% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 81.4% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 81.8% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 82.3% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 82.7% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 82.6% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 82.5% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 83.0% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 83.3% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 83.6% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 84.2% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 84.6% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 84.7% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 85.0% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 85.4% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 85.8% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 86.2% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 86.3% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 86.7% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 86.5% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 86.7% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 86.9% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 87.2% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 87.4% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 87.6% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 64.8% | 64.2% | 65.5% | 4 |
| 1980s | 68.9% | 66.1% | 72.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.4% | 73.1% | 80.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 82.4% | 81.1% | 83.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.5% | 84.2% | 86.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.2% | 86.7% | 87.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near MDG: World
More education data for MDG: World
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.3122 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.5777 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 314.66 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.7457 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 337.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.4213 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 206.57 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 129.51 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: World?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: World was 87.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in MDG: World?
- The highest recorded value was 87.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in MDG: World?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.2% in 1976.
- How does MDG: World rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- MDG: World ranks 77th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in MDG: World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MDG: World 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