Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)
WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 99.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income), 1988–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) stood at 99.5%. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) peaked at 99.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 92.5%, in 1988.
That places WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) 15th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 92.5% | — |
| 1989 | 92.5% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 92.9% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 93.2% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 93.5% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 93.8% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 94.0% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 94.3% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 94.6% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 94.8% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 95.2% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 95.4% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 95.5% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 95.7% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 95.9% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 96.1% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 96.3% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 96.5% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 96.4% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 96.6% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 96.7% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 97.5% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 98.2% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 98.6% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 98.8% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 99.1% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 99.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 99.5% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 92.5% | 92.5% | 92.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 94.2% | 92.9% | 95.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 96.3% | 95.5% | 97.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.9% | 98.2% | 99.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.4% | 99.3% | 99.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)
More education data for WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 13.51 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.50 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.8629 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 14.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.9089 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 906,553 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.1924 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.8854 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 12.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) was 99.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)?
- The highest recorded value was 99.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 92.5% in 1988.
- How does WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) ranks 15th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) 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