Literacy in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Literacy was 97.93 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
97.93
World rank
18th
of 89 countries
All-time high
97.93
in 2024
All-time low
70.82
in 1992
Years of data
7
1992–2024
Literacy in Saudi Arabia, 1992–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy in Saudi Arabia stood at 97.93. 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 in Saudi Arabia peaked at 97.93 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 70.82, in 1992.
That places Saudi Arabia 18th out of 89 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
Literacy in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 70.82 | — |
| 2000 | 79.35 | +12.0% |
| 2004 | 82.86 | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 94.43 | +14.0% |
| 2017 | 95.33 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 97.59 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 97.93 | +0.3% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 97.93 is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.73, 1.0× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 97.93 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 94.44, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 70.82 | 70.82 | 70.82 | 1 |
| 2000s | 81.1 | 79.35 | 82.86 | 2 |
| 2010s | 94.88 | 94.43 | 95.33 | 2 |
| 2020s | 97.76 | 97.59 | 97.93 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.72 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.47 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy in Saudi Arabia?
- Literacy in Saudi Arabia was 97.93 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 97.93 in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.82 in 1992.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for literacy?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 18th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy. 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).