Literacy in Mexico
Mexico: Literacy was 95.55 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
95.55
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
34th
of 89 countries
All-time high
95.83
in 2023
All-time low
82.99
in 1980
Years of data
25
1980–2024
Literacy in Mexico, 1980–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy in Mexico is 95.55, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy in Mexico peaked at 95.83 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 82.99, in 1980.
Mexico ranks 34th of 89 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Literacy in Mexico, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 82.99 | — |
| 1990 | 87.56 | +5.5% |
| 2000 | 90.54 | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 90.27 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 90.95 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 91.63 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 91.73 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 92.8 | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 92.93 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 93.44 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 93.07 | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 93.52 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 94.23 | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 93.96 | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 94.56 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 94.47 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 94.86 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 94.97 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 95.38 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 95.39 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 95.25 | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 95.69 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 95.12 | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 95.83 | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 95.55 | -0.3% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 95.55 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.55, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 95.55 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 94.86, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 82.99 | 82.99 | 82.99 | 1 |
| 1990s | 87.56 | 87.56 | 87.56 | 1 |
| 2000s | 91.79 | 90.27 | 93.44 | 8 |
| 2010s | 94.44 | 93.07 | 95.39 | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.49 | 95.12 | 95.83 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More education data for Mexico
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 92.12 (1980)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.64 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 868,550 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 96,349 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.11 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.99 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.19 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy in Mexico?
- Literacy in Mexico was 95.55 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 95.83 in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.99 in 1980.
- How does Mexico rank for literacy?
- Mexico ranks 34th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mexico 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 — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).