Literacy rate, youth male in Iran, Islamic Republic of

Iran, Islamic Republic of: Literacy rate, youth male was 98.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
98.9%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
31st
of 95 countries
All-time high
98.9%
in 2023
All-time low
70.9%
in 1976
Years of data
22
1976–2023

Literacy rate, youth male in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1976–2023

0204060801001976199920231976: 70.9 % of males ages 15-241986: 84.5 % of males ages 15-241991: 92.4 % of males ages 15-241996: 95.5 % of males ages 15-242005: 98.1 % of males ages 15-242006: 97.2 % of males ages 15-242008: 98.3 % of males ages 15-242009: 98.1 % of males ages 15-242010: 98.2 % of males ages 15-242011: 97 % of males ages 15-242012: 98.3 % of males ages 15-242013: 98.1 % of males ages 15-242014: 98.2 % of males ages 15-242015: 98.1 % of males ages 15-242016: 98.3 % of males ages 15-242017: 98.2 % of males ages 15-242018: 98.3 % of males ages 15-242019: 98.5 % of males ages 15-242020: 98.6 % of males ages 15-242021: 98.7 % of males ages 15-242022: 98.6 % of males ages 15-242023: 98.9 % of males ages 15-24

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15-24.

Analysis

Iran, Islamic Republic of recorded 98.9% for literacy rate, youth male in 2023. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth male in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 98.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 70.9%, in 1976.

Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 31st of 95 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Literacy rate, youth male in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1976 to 2023.
Year % of males ages 15-24 Change
1976 70.9%
1986 84.5% +19.2%
1991 92.4% +9.4%
1996 95.5% +3.3%
2005 98.1% +2.7%
2006 97.2% -1.0%
2008 98.3% +1.1%
2009 98.1% -0.1%
2010 98.2% +0.1%
2011 97.0% -1.2%
2012 98.3% +1.3%
2013 98.1% -0.2%
2014 98.2% +0.1%
2015 98.1% -0.1%
2016 98.3% +0.1%
2017 98.2% -0.0%
2018 98.3% +0.0%
2019 98.5% +0.3%
2020 98.6% +0.0%
2021 98.7% +0.1%
2022 98.6% -0.1%
2023 98.9% +0.3%

Iran, Islamic Republic of compared with similar countries

  • Iran, Islamic Republic of's 98.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98.8%, 1.0× the median. (36 countries reporting)
  • Iran, Islamic Republic of's 98.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 98.5%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 70.9% 70.9% 70.9% 1
1980s 84.5% 84.5% 84.5% 1
1990s 94.0% 92.4% 95.5% 2
2000s 97.9% 97.2% 98.3% 4
2010s 98.1% 97.0% 98.5% 10
2020s 98.7% 98.6% 98.9% 4

Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of

  1. 29 Viet Nam 99.0% compare
  2. 30 Albania 98.9% compare
  3. 32 Uruguay 98.8% compare
  4. 33 Ecuador 98.8% compare
  5. 34 Mexico 98.8% compare

See the full ranking of 135 places →

More education data for Iran, Islamic Republic of

All data for Iran, Islamic Republic of →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, youth male in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
Literacy rate, youth male in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 98.9% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest literacy rate, youth male recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
The highest recorded value was 98.9% in 2023.
What is the lowest literacy rate, youth male recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
The lowest recorded value was 70.9% in 1976.
How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for literacy rate, youth male?
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 31st out of 95 countries with data for 2023.
Is literacy rate, youth male rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, youth male in Iran, Islamic Republic of. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-youth-male-percent-of-males-ages-15-24/iran-islamic-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24)
Unit
% of males ages 15-24
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
135 places, 2,765 data points, 1974–2024
Last refreshed

Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.