Literacy in Egypt
Egypt: Literacy was 79.45 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
79.45
Change on year
down 3.2%
World rank
58th
of 89 countries
All-time high
82.08
in 2021
All-time low
38.2
in 1976
Years of data
11
1976–2022
Literacy in Egypt, 1976–2022
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy in Egypt is 79.45, 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 in Egypt peaked at 82.08 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.
Literacy in Egypt, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 38.2 | — |
| 1986 | 44.42 | +16.3% |
| 1996 | 55.59 | +25.1% |
| 2005 | 67.33 | +21.1% |
| 2006 | 66.37 | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 72.05 | +8.6% |
| 2012 | 73.87 | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 72.44 | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 71.17 | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 82.08 | +15.3% |
| 2022 | 79.45 | -3.2% |
Egypt compared with similar countries
- Egypt's 79.45 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 78.16, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Egypt's 79.45 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 94.44, 84% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 38.2 | 38.2 | 38.2 | 1 |
| 1980s | 44.42 | 44.42 | 44.42 | 1 |
| 1990s | 55.59 | 55.59 | 55.59 | 1 |
| 2000s | 66.85 | 66.37 | 67.33 | 2 |
| 2010s | 72.38 | 71.17 | 73.87 | 4 |
| 2020s | 80.77 | 79.45 | 82.08 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
More education data for Egypt
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 96.52 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 96.49 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 507,445 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 95,355 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 759,210 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 718,435 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.56 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.40 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.23 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy in Egypt?
- Literacy in Egypt was 79.45 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy recorded in Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 82.08 in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.2 in 1976.
- How does Egypt rank for literacy?
- Egypt ranks 58th out of 89 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).