Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in World

World: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male was 83.4% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
83.4%
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
14th
of 37 groups
All-time high
83.4%
in 2019
All-time low
61.5%
in 1985
Years of data
39
1981–2019

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in World, 1981–2019

0204060801981200020191981: 61.6 %1982: 62.1 %1983: 61.8 %1984: 61.6 %1985: 61.5 %1986: 61.6 %1987: 62.2 %1988: 66 %1989: 66.3 %1990: 63 %1991: 66.6 %1992: 66.8 %1993: 67 %1994: 67.1 %1995: 67.3 %1996: 67.5 %1997: 71.6 %1998: 72.9 %1999: 73.1 %2000: 73 %2001: 73.1 %2002: 73.5 %2003: 74.1 %2004: 74.3 %2005: 73.9 %2006: 75.2 %2007: 76.5 %2008: 77.1 %2009: 77.5 %2010: 78.4 %2011: 79.1 %2012: 79.6 %2013: 79.9 %2014: 80.5 %2015: 81.2 %2016: 81.8 %2017: 82.3 %2018: 82.9 %2019: 83.4 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

World recorded 83.4% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in 2019. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.

The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in World peaked at 83.4% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 61.5%, in 1985.

That places World 14th out of 37 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 62.7% 61.5% 66.3% 9
1990s 68.3% 63.0% 73.1% 10
2000s 74.8% 73.0% 77.5% 10
2010s 80.9% 78.4% 83.4% 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 11 Spain 97.1% compare
  2. 12 Grenada 96.6% compare
  3. 13 Jordan 96.5% compare
  4. 14 Singapore 95.5% compare
  5. 15 Albania 95.0% compare
  6. 16 Philippines 94.6% compare
  7. 17 Vietnam 94.5% compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in World?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in World was 83.4% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 83.4% in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 61.5% in 1985.
How does World rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male?
World ranks 14th out of 37 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this World 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 World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-male-percent/world/

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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.