Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male was 80.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), 1973–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) stood at 80.0%. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) peaked at 80.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 40.9%, in 1973.
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 139th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 40.9% | — |
| 1974 | 41.2% | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 41.6% | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 42.0% | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 42.5% | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 43.2% | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 44.0% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 44.7% | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 45.5% | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 46.5% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 46.8% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 47.7% | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 48.7% | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 49.6% | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 50.5% | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 51.4% | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 52.3% | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 54.3% | +3.7% |
| 1991 | 55.1% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 57.3% | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 60.0% | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 60.7% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 61.8% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 62.7% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 63.7% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 64.7% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 65.7% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 66.6% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 67.6% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 68.5% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 72.3% | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 73.2% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 73.9% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 72.6% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 73.5% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 74.8% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 76.5% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 76.9% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 76.3% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 78.1% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 78.0% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 78.0% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 78.6% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 77.7% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 78.2% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 78.0% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 77.9% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 78.3% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 78.6% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 79.1% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 79.5% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 80.0% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 42.2% | 40.9% | 44.0% | 7 |
| 1980s | 48.4% | 44.7% | 52.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.6% | 54.3% | 65.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.0% | 66.6% | 76.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 77.8% | 76.3% | 78.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.1% | 78.3% | 80.0% | 5 |
More education data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.74 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 3.82 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 8.80 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 29.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.80 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 32.64 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 4.06 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) was 80.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The highest recorded value was 80.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.9% in 1973.
- How does WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male?
- WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 139th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male rising or falling in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release