Literacy rates among adults in Egypt
Egypt: Literacy rates among adults was 79.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Egypt, 1976–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rates among adults in Egypt is 79.5%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 3.2% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Egypt peaked at 82.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 38.2%, in 1976.
Egypt ranks 58th of 89 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 38.2% | 38.2% | 38.2% | 1 |
| 1980s | 44.4% | 44.4% | 44.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 55.6% | 55.6% | 55.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 66.8% | 66.4% | 67.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 72.4% | 71.2% | 73.9% | 4 |
| 2020s | 80.8% | 79.5% | 82.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
More education data for Egypt
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 31.6% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 96.7% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 483,053 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 2.73 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Egypt?
- Literacy rates among adults in Egypt was 79.5% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates among adults recorded in Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 82.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.2% in 1976.
- How does Egypt rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Egypt ranks 58th out of 89 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Egypt data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.