Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Senegal
Senegal: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 44.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Senegal, 1988–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Senegal recorded 44.6% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in 2023.
That represents a change of up 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Senegal peaked at 47.1% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 22.4%, in 1988.
Senegal ranks 79th of 87 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Senegal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 22.4% | — |
| 2002 | 35.5% | +58.0% |
| 2006 | 38.8% | +9.5% |
| 2009 | 42.4% | +9.1% |
| 2011 | 47.1% | +11.2% |
| 2013 | 38.2% | -18.9% |
| 2015 | 37.4% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 39.6% | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 44.0% | +11.0% |
| 2018 | 40.8% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 40.3% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 44.6% | +10.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22.4% | 22.4% | 22.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 38.9% | 35.5% | 42.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 41.1% | 37.4% | 47.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 44.6% | 44.6% | 44.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
More education data for Senegal
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 181,550 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.28 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.35 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4401 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.127 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.35 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.4401 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Senegal?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Senegal was 44.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 47.1% in 2011.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.4% in 1988.
- How does Senegal rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- Senegal ranks 79th out of 87 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Senegal 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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CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release