Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Literacy rates vs average years of schooling was 97.59 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
97.59
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
34th
of 128 countries
All-time high
97.59
in 2020
All-time low
3
in 1950
Years of data
7
1950–2020

Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Saudi Arabia, 1950–2020

0204060801001950198520201950: 31992: 70.82000: 79.32004: 82.92013: 94.42017: 95.32020: 97.6

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2020, literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Saudi Arabia stood at 97.59. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Saudi Arabia peaked at 97.59 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3, in 1950.

That places Saudi Arabia 34th out of 128 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 3 3 3 1
1990s 70.82 70.82 70.82 1
2000s 81.1 79.35 82.86 2
2010s 94.88 94.43 95.33 2
2020s 97.59 97.59 97.59 1

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 31 Albania 97.68 compare
  2. 32 Cuba 97.65 compare
  3. 32 Singapore 97.65 compare
  4. 35 Canada 97.5
  5. 36 Oman 97.34 compare
  6. 37 Türkiye 97.26 compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More education data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Saudi Arabia?
Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Saudi Arabia was 97.59 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest literacy rates vs average years of schooling recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 97.59 in 2020.
What is the lowest literacy rates vs average years of schooling recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1950.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for literacy rates vs average years of schooling?
Saudi Arabia ranks 34th out of 128 countries with data for 2020.
Is literacy rates vs average years of schooling rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.

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Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rates-vs-average-years-of-schooling/saudi-arabia/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rates vs average years of schooling
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,242 data points, 1475–2023
Last refreshed