Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Arab World

Arab World: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 24.9% in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
24.9%
Change on year
up 3.3%
Rank
33rd
of 38 groups
All-time high
24.9%
in 2019
All-time low
5.4%
in 1977
Years of data
43
1977–2019

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Arab World, 1977–2019

5101520251977199820191977: 5.4 %1978: 5.5 %1979: 5.6 %1980: 5.7 %1981: 5.7 %1982: 5.8 %1983: 6.9 %1984: 6.9 %1985: 6.8 %1986: 6.8 %1987: 6.9 %1988: 6.9 %1989: 7 %1990: 7 %1991: 7 %1992: 7.1 %1993: 6.7 %1994: 6.8 %1995: 7 %1996: 7.4 %1997: 7.7 %1998: 8.2 %1999: 8.6 %2000: 8.8 %2001: 9.3 %2002: 9.9 %2003: 14.1 %2004: 14.1 %2005: 9.5 %2006: 11.3 %2007: 12.1 %2008: 13 %2009: 16.3 %2010: 16.7 %2011: 19.4 %2012: 21.7 %2013: 21.4 %2014: 23.5 %2015: 24 %2016: 22.3 %2017: 23.5 %2018: 24.1 %2019: 24.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Arab World is 24.9%, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 52.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Arab World peaked at 24.9% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 1977.

That places Arab World 33rd out of 38 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.5% 5.4% 5.6% 3
1980s 6.5% 5.7% 7.0% 10
1990s 7.4% 6.7% 8.6% 10
2000s 11.8% 8.8% 16.3% 10
2010s 22.1% 16.7% 24.9% 10

Countries ranked near Arab World

  1. 30 Mexico 77.4% compare
  2. 31 Suriname 77.3% compare
  3. 32 Sri Lanka 74.4% compare
  4. 33 Thailand 73.3% compare
  5. 34 Macao Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China 72.1% compare
  6. 35 Türkiye, Republic of 70.4% compare
  7. 36 Ecuador 69.7% compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for Arab World

All data for Arab World →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Arab World?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Arab World was 24.9% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Arab World?
The highest recorded value was 24.9% in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Arab World?
The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 1977.
How does Arab World rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
Arab World ranks 33rd out of 38 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in Arab World?
Over the last ten years it is up 52.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Arab World data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Arab World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-female-percent/arab-world/

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About this data

Indicator
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
121 places, 2,197 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of females age 65 and above 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 female literates aged 65 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.