Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) vs Turkey: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
75.9%
in 2019
Turkey
97.6%
in 2017
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) rank
25th
Turkey rank
23rd

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes over time

  • Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
  • Turkey
406080100197119952019

How they compare

Turkey currently reports 97.6% against 75.9% in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), a difference of 21.7%.

That makes Turkey's figure about 1.3 times Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)'s.

Across all 17 years both countries report, Turkey has been ahead every year.

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 25th and Turkey ranks 23rd of 39 groups.

Turkey has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) Turkey Difference Ahead
1970s 33.3% 56.0% 22.7% Turkey
1980s 38.4% 66.8% 28.5% Turkey
1990s 47.7% 77.2% 29.5% Turkey
2000s 69.8% 89.9% 20.2% Turkey
2010s 73.8% 96.6% 22.9% Turkey

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) or Turkey?
Turkey, at 97.6% against 75.9% in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) as of 2017.
What is the difference in literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes between Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) and Turkey?
21.7%, with Turkey ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) and Turkey?
17 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2017.
How do Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) and Turkey rank globally for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 25th and Turkey ranks 23rd of 39 groups.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) vs Turkey: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-both-sexes-percent/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-ida-and-ibrd/turkiye/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-both-sexes-percent/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-ida-and-ibrd/turkiye/">Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) vs Turkey: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,220 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of the population between age 25 and age 64 who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of literates aged 25-64 years by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.