Literacy rates among adults in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Literacy rates among adults was 97.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Saudi Arabia, 1992–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rates among adults in Saudi Arabia stood at 97.9%. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Saudi Arabia peaked at 97.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 70.8%, in 1992.
That places Saudi Arabia 18th out of 89 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 70.8% | 70.8% | 70.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 81.1% | 79.3% | 82.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 94.9% | 94.4% | 95.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 97.8% | 97.6% | 97.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 73.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 23.6% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 104.0% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 244,652 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 2.31 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 104.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Saudi Arabia?
- Literacy rates among adults in Saudi Arabia was 97.9% in 2024, 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 97.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.8% in 1992.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 18th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.