Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Arab World

Arab World: Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes was 52.95 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
52.95 million number
Change on year
up 1.3%
Rank
20th
of 39 groups
All-time high
52.95 million number
in 2019
All-time low
30.26 million number
in 1977
Years of data
43
1977–2019

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Arab World, 1977–2019

020.0M40.0M60.0M1977199820191977: 30.3M number1978: 31.1M number1979: 32.0M number1980: 32.8M number1981: 33.6M number1982: 34.3M number1983: 35.5M number1984: 36.3M number1985: 37.1M number1986: 37.7M number1987: 38.5M number1988: 39.0M number1989: 39.6M number1990: 40.2M number1991: 40.7M number1992: 41.3M number1993: 41.5M number1994: 42.1M number1995: 42.5M number1996: 42.6M number1997: 42.7M number1998: 42.5M number1999: 42.5M number2000: 42.6M number2001: 42.5M number2002: 42.3M number2003: 40.1M number2004: 40.2M number2005: 42.1M number2006: 45.2M number2007: 46.0M number2008: 46.0M number2009: 49.1M number2010: 49.7M number2011: 47.9M number2012: 47.2M number2013: 48.7M number2014: 47.9M number2015: 48.1M number2016: 51.7M number2017: 51.9M number2018: 52.3M number2019: 52.9M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Arab World stood at 52.95 million number. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Arab World peaked at 52.95 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 30.26 million number, in 1977.

Arab World ranks 20th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 31.12 million number 30.26 million number 31.98 million number 3
1980s 36.45 million number 32.82 million number 39.62 million number 10
1990s 41.86 million number 40.17 million number 42.68 million number 10
2000s 43.61 million number 40.11 million number 49.12 million number 10
2010s 49.83 million number 47.22 million number 52.95 million number 10

Countries ranked near Arab World

  1. 17 Tanzania 3.83 million number compare
  2. 18 Algeria 3.54 million number compare
  3. 19 Chad 3.50 million number compare
  4. 20 South Africa 3.39 million number compare
  5. 21 Senegal 2.96 million number compare
  6. 22 Thailand 2.83 million number compare
  7. 23 Madagascar 2.58 million number compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Arab World

All data for Arab World →

Frequently asked questions

What is illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Arab World?
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Arab World was 52.95 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Arab World?
The highest recorded value was 52.95 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Arab World?
The lowest recorded value was 30.26 million number in 1977.
How does Arab World rank for illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes?
Arab World ranks 20th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in Arab World?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Arab World data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,239 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of adults from age 25 to age 64 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.