Literacy in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Literacy was 98.81 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
98.81
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
11th
of 89 countries
All-time high
98.81
in 2024
All-time low
53.51
in 1975
Years of data
8
1975–2024
Literacy in United Arab Emirates, 1975–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy in United Arab Emirates stood at 98.81. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy in United Arab Emirates peaked at 98.81 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 53.51, in 1975.
United Arab Emirates ranks 11th of 89 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Literacy in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 53.51 | — |
| 1985 | 71.24 | +33.1% |
| 2005 | 90.03 | +26.4% |
| 2019 | 97.78 | +8.6% |
| 2021 | 98.13 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 98.29 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 98.06 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 98.81 | +0.8% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 98.81 is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.73, 1.0× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 98.81 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 53.51 | 53.51 | 53.51 | 1 |
| 1980s | 71.24 | 71.24 | 71.24 | 1 |
| 2000s | 90.03 | 90.03 | 90.03 | 1 |
| 2010s | 97.78 | 97.78 | 97.78 | 1 |
| 2020s | 98.32 | 98.06 | 98.81 | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More education data for United Arab Emirates
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.88 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 100 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 106,178 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 305 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 119,159 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 125,307 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 894,302 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 586,477 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.74 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy in United Arab Emirates?
- Literacy in United Arab Emirates was 98.81 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 98.81 in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.51 in 1975.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for literacy?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 11th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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 — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).