Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male was 52.1% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
52.1%
Change on year
up 2.4%
Rank
27th
of 38 groups
All-time high
52.1%
in 2019
All-time low
23.8%
in 1972
Years of data
48
1972–2019

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 1972–2019

0204060197219952019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) recorded 52.1% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in 2019. That is the highest value across all 48 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 23.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) peaked at 52.1% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 23.8%, in 1972.

That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 27th out of 38 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), year by year

Annual values for Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male (%) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 1972 to 2019.
Year % Change
1972 23.8%
1973 23.8% +0.1%
1974 23.9% +0.1%
1975 23.9% +0.1%
1976 23.9% +0.1%
1977 24.4% +1.9%
1978 24.8% +1.7%
1979 25.2% +1.6%
1980 25.5% +1.5%
1981 25.8% +1.1%
1982 26.1% +1.1%
1983 24.8% -4.9%
1984 24.9% +0.4%
1985 25.1% +0.6%
1986 25.2% +0.5%
1987 25.7% +2.2%
1988 26.3% +2.1%
1989 26.8% +2.0%
1990 28.6% +6.7%
1991 28.7% +0.2%
1992 29.0% +1.2%
1993 29.3% +1.0%
1994 29.5% +0.7%
1995 29.8% +1.0%
1996 30.3% +1.8%
1997 30.9% +2.0%
1998 31.6% +2.3%
1999 32.4% +2.4%
2000 33.1% +2.2%
2001 34.1% +3.1%
2002 35.5% +4.1%
2003 44.7% +25.7%
2004 45.0% +0.8%
2005 37.8% -16.0%
2006 37.7% -0.3%
2007 39.2% +3.9%
2008 40.0% +2.2%
2009 42.1% +5.3%
2010 43.4% +3.0%
2011 44.8% +3.3%
2012 44.3% -1.1%
2013 45.6% +2.8%
2014 50.1% +9.9%
2015 51.2% +2.1%
2016 48.0% -6.3%
2017 49.6% +3.5%
2018 50.9% +2.5%
2019 52.1% +2.4%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2003 +25.7% 35.5% 44.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 24.2% 23.8% 25.2% 8
1980s 25.6% 24.8% 26.8% 10
1990s 30.0% 28.6% 32.4% 10
2000s 38.9% 33.1% 45.0% 10
2010s 48.0% 43.4% 52.1% 10

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)

  1. 24 Chile 90.6% compare
  2. 25 Peru 90.6% compare
  3. 26 Brunei 90.3% compare
  4. 27 Venezuela 89.8% compare
  5. 28 Kuwait 88.8% compare
  6. 29 Malta 86.4% compare
  7. 30 Suriname 86.2% compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) was 52.1% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
The highest recorded value was 52.1% in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
The lowest recorded value was 23.8% in 1972.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 27th out of 38 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-male-percent/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-excluding-high-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
121 places, 2,187 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of males 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 male literates aged 65 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.