Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)
ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 68.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500), 1979–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) is 68.9%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) peaked at 68.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 27.3%, in 1979.
ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) ranks 120th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 27.3% | — |
| 1980 | 27.9% | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 28.5% | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 29.3% | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 29.5% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 30.1% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 30.6% | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 31.2% | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 31.9% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 32.9% | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 33.9% | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 35.0% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 35.8% | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 36.9% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 37.8% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 38.9% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 39.9% | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 41.2% | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 42.6% | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 43.8% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 45.2% | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 46.5% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 47.9% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 49.4% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 53.2% | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 54.5% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 55.5% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 53.5% | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 54.2% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 55.6% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 57.1% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 58.1% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 61.5% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 62.4% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 63.9% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 63.7% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 65.0% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 63.9% | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 64.7% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 65.2% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 65.8% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 66.4% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 66.9% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 67.6% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 68.2% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 68.9% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 27.3% | 27.3% | 27.3% | 1 |
| 1980s | 30.6% | 27.9% | 33.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.7% | 35.0% | 45.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 52.8% | 46.5% | 57.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.4% | 58.1% | 65.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.6% | 66.4% | 68.9% | 5 |
More education data for ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 90.4% (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 88.8% (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female 16.59 million (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational 9.6% (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male 17.81 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes 5.68 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes 2.28 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, female 11.49 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes 23.47 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, male 11.98 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) was 68.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)?
- The highest recorded value was 68.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.3% in 1979.
- How does ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) ranks 120th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCWA: All Countries (unsdcode:98500) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release