Literacy rate, youth total in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Literacy rate, youth total was 98.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, youth total in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1976–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15-24.
Analysis
In 2023, literacy rate, youth total in Iran, Islamic Republic of stood at 98.7%. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth total in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 98.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 56.5%, in 1976.
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 39th 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 total in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 56.5% | — |
| 1986 | 75.2% | +33.2% |
| 1991 | 87.0% | +15.7% |
| 1996 | 93.0% | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 97.4% | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 96.6% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 97.9% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 97.6% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 97.8% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 96.7% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 98.0% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 97.8% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 97.9% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 97.9% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 98.1% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 98.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 98.5% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 98.4% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
Iran, Islamic Republic of compared with similar countries
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 98.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98.9%, 100% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 98.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 98.7%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate, youth total in Iran, Islamic Republic of changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +33.2% | 56.5% | 75.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 56.5% | 56.5% | 56.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 75.2% | 75.2% | 75.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 90.0% | 87.0% | 93.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 97.4% | 96.6% | 97.9% | 4 |
| 2010s | 97.9% | 96.7% | 98.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.6% | 98.4% | 98.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
More education data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, youth total in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Literacy rate, youth total in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 98.7% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 98.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.5% in 1976.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for literacy rate, youth total?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 39th out of 95 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rate, youth total rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. 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 total (% of people ages 15-24). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.