Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 76.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa stood at 76.3%. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa peaked at 76.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 25.3%, in 1975.
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa ranks 99th 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, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 25.3% | — |
| 1976 | 25.5% | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 25.9% | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 26.3% | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 26.8% | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 27.4% | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 27.9% | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 28.8% | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 29.6% | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 30.3% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 31.1% | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 31.9% | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 32.8% | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 34.0% | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 35.1% | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 38.0% | +8.1% |
| 1991 | 39.1% | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 40.4% | +3.3% |
| 1993 | 41.5% | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 42.6% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 44.6% | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 46.0% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 47.4% | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 48.9% | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 50.4% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 51.8% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 53.3% | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 54.9% | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 58.0% | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 59.5% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 60.9% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 60.4% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 61.5% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 64.5% | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 66.1% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 67.1% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 68.3% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 69.3% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 70.5% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 70.6% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 71.8% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 71.3% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 72.1% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 72.8% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 73.3% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 74.0% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 74.5% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 75.1% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 75.7% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 76.3% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 26.0% | 25.3% | 26.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 30.9% | 27.4% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.9% | 38.0% | 50.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.1% | 51.8% | 66.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.7% | 67.1% | 73.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 75.1% | 74.0% | 76.3% | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 21.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 23.21 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.49 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.5257 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 17.53 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.61 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.11 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa was 76.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 76.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.3% in 1975.
- How does UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa ranks 99th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Middle East and North 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