Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Iran
Iran: Literacy rates vs average years of schooling was 88.92 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Iran, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Iran recorded 88.92 for literacy rates vs average years of schooling in 2023. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Iran peaked at 88.92 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 12.5, in 1950.
That places Iran 76th out of 128 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 12.5 | — |
| 1976 | 36.52 | +192.2% |
| 1986 | 52.32 | +43.3% |
| 1991 | 65.53 | +25.2% |
| 1996 | 73.06 | +11.5% |
| 2002 | 77 | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 82.44 | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 82.33 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 82.96 | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 83.22 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 83.66 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 83.52 | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 83.63 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 84.63 | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 84.71 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 85.28 | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 85.54 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 85.95 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 86.87 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 87.38 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 87.9 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 88.46 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 88.59 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 88.92 | +0.4% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 88.92 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.8, 93% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Iran's 88.92 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 93.31, 95% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Iran 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +192.2% | 12.5 | 36.52 |
| 1986 | +43.3% | 36.52 | 52.32 |
| 1991 | +25.2% | 52.32 | 65.53 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.5 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 1 |
| 1970s | 36.52 | 36.52 | 36.52 | 1 |
| 1980s | 52.32 | 52.32 | 52.32 | 1 |
| 1990s | 69.3 | 65.53 | 73.06 | 2 |
| 2000s | 81.59 | 77 | 83.22 | 5 |
| 2010s | 85.12 | 83.52 | 87.38 | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.47 | 87.9 | 88.92 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More education data for Iran
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.5 (2020)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.9 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Iran?
- Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Iran was 88.92 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates vs average years of schooling recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 88.92 in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rates vs average years of schooling recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5 in 1950.
- How does Iran rank for literacy rates vs average years of schooling?
- Iran ranks 76th out of 128 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rates vs average years of schooling rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates vs average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).