Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)
WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 85.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
85.4%
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
89th
of 203 groups
All-time high
85.4%
in 2024
All-time low
53.8%
in 1975
Years of data
50
1975–2024
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025), 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) stood at 85.4%. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) peaked at 85.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 53.8%, in 1975.
WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) ranks 89th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 53.8% | — |
| 1976 | 54.0% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 54.4% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 55.2% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 56.0% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 56.8% | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 57.6% | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 58.4% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 59.2% | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 60.1% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 60.9% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 61.6% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 62.3% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 64.6% | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 65.5% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 66.4% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 67.2% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 68.0% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 68.9% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 69.8% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 70.6% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 71.4% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 74.1% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 76.0% | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 76.6% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 77.1% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 77.5% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 78.0% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 78.6% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 79.1% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 79.0% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 78.9% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 79.4% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 79.9% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 80.3% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 81.1% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 81.5% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 81.8% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 82.1% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 82.5% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 83.2% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 83.6% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 83.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 84.2% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 84.0% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 84.3% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 84.6% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 84.9% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 85.2% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 85.4% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 54.7% | 53.8% | 56.0% | 5 |
| 1980s | 60.7% | 56.8% | 65.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 70.9% | 66.4% | 76.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.8% | 77.1% | 80.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.8% | 81.1% | 84.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.9% | 84.3% | 85.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)
- 86 Afghanistan 27.3% compare
- 87 Chad 24.1% compare
More education data for WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 701.53 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.6578 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.37 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 363.75 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 337.78 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 103.52 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.57 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 24.25 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) was 85.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)?
- The highest recorded value was 85.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.8% in 1975.
- How does WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) ranks 89th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) 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