Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Iran

Iran: Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes was 5.49 million number in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
5.49 million number
Change on year
down 4.8%
World rank
8th
of 83 countries
All-time high
9.25 million number
in 1986
All-time low
5.49 million number
in 2016
Years of data
11
1976–2016

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Iran, 1976–2016

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M1976199620161976: 8.1M number1986: 9.2M number1991: 8.1M number1996: 6.9M number2005: 6.0M number2006: 6.1M number2008: 6.2M number2012: 6.2M number2013: 5.7M number2014: 5.8M number2016: 5.5M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Iran is 5.49 million number, measured in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.

That represents a change of down 4.8% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Iran peaked at 9.25 million number in 1986 and was at its lowest, 5.49 million number, in 2016.

That places Iran 8th out of 83 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 8.12 million number 8.12 million number 8.12 million number 1
1980s 9.25 million number 9.25 million number 9.25 million number 1
1990s 7.52 million number 6.94 million number 8.09 million number 2
2000s 6.08 million number 5.98 million number 6.19 million number 3
2010s 5.78 million number 5.49 million number 6.15 million number 4

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 5 Egypt 13.77 million number compare
  2. 6 China 13.21 million number compare
  3. 7 Brazil 6.31 million number compare
  4. 9 Morocco 5.09 million number compare
  5. 10 Cote d'Ivoire 4.98 million number compare
  6. 11 Nepal 4.56 million number compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Iran?
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Iran was 5.49 million number in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 9.25 million number in 1986.
What is the lowest illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 5.49 million number in 2016.
How does Iran rank for illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes?
Iran ranks 8th out of 83 countries with data for 2016.
Is illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Iran 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.