Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in MDG: Northern Africa
MDG: Northern Africa: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 68.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in MDG: Northern Africa, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in MDG: Northern Africa stood at 68.8%. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in MDG: Northern Africa peaked at 68.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.6%, in 1971.
That places MDG: Northern Africa 121st out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in MDG: Northern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 12.6% | — |
| 1972 | 12.8% | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 13.2% | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 13.5% | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 13.8% | +2.5% |
| 1976 | 14.2% | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 14.6% | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 15.1% | +3.9% |
| 1979 | 15.7% | +4.0% |
| 1980 | 16.5% | +5.0% |
| 1981 | 17.3% | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 18.2% | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 18.4% | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 19.4% | +5.0% |
| 1985 | 20.4% | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 21.5% | +5.4% |
| 1987 | 22.7% | +5.7% |
| 1988 | 24.0% | +5.7% |
| 1989 | 25.4% | +5.7% |
| 1990 | 26.8% | +5.5% |
| 1991 | 28.2% | +5.5% |
| 1992 | 29.7% | +5.2% |
| 1993 | 30.9% | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 32.3% | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 33.6% | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 35.0% | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 36.4% | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 38.2% | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 39.7% | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 41.1% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 42.7% | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 44.1% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 48.9% | +10.9% |
| 2004 | 50.2% | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 51.3% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 49.6% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 50.4% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 52.1% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 54.1% | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 55.2% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 59.4% | +7.6% |
| 2012 | 60.2% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 62.3% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 61.8% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 63.1% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 61.1% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 62.4% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 63.4% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 64.3% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 65.2% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 66.1% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 67.0% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 67.9% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 68.8% | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.9% | 12.6% | 15.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 20.4% | 16.5% | 25.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 33.1% | 26.8% | 39.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.5% | 41.1% | 54.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.3% | 55.2% | 64.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.0% | 65.2% | 68.8% | 5 |
More education data for MDG: Northern Africa
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 11.37 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 697,877 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 5.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.09 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 4.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 23.16 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.66 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 13.43 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.42 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in MDG: Northern Africa?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in MDG: Northern Africa was 68.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in MDG: Northern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 68.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in MDG: Northern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.6% in 1971.
- How does MDG: Northern Africa rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- MDG: Northern Africa ranks 121st out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in MDG: Northern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MDG: Northern Africa 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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release