Literacy rates among adults in Kuwait
Kuwait: Literacy rates among adults was 96.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Kuwait, 1975–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Kuwait recorded 96.5% for literacy rates among adults in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Kuwait peaked at 96.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 59.6%, in 1975.
That places Kuwait 28th out of 89 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Literacy rates among adults in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 59.6% | — |
| 1980 | 67.5% | +13.4% |
| 1985 | 74.5% | +10.3% |
| 1995 | 78.4% | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 93.3% | +19.0% |
| 2006 | 93.3% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 93.7% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 93.9% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 94.5% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 95.5% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 95.6% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 95.7% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 96.0% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 96.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 96.5% | +0.4% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 96.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 97.7%, 99% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 96.5% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 94.4%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 59.6% | 59.6% | 59.6% | 1 |
| 1980s | 71.0% | 67.5% | 74.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 78.4% | 78.4% | 78.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 93.5% | 93.3% | 93.9% | 4 |
| 2010s | 95.6% | 94.5% | 96.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 96.5% | 96.5% | 96.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
More education data for Kuwait
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 47,443 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 11 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 30,349 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 29,489 (2021)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 302,047 (2015)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 265,113 (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -4.44 % change on previous year (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0608 units per person (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Kuwait?
- Literacy rates among adults in Kuwait was 96.5% in 2020, 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 Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 96.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.6% in 1975.
- How does Kuwait rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Kuwait ranks 28th out of 89 countries with data for 2020.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kuwait 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.