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

Kuwait: Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes was 100,786 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
100,786 number
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
57th
of 83 countries
All-time high
221,186 number
in 1985
All-time low
87,982 number
in 2012
Years of data
14
1975–2018

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Kuwait, 1975–2018

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k1975199620181975: 162.0k number1980: 197.1k number1985: 221.2k number1995: 207.9k number2005: 92.8k number2006: 94.8k number2007: 93.8k number2008: 96.5k number2010: 99.7k number2012: 88.0k number2013: 96.7k number2015: 104.2k number2017: 100.0k number2018: 100.8k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Kuwait stood at 100,786 number.

That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Kuwait peaked at 221,186 number in 1985 and was at its lowest, 87,982 number, in 2012.

Kuwait ranks 57th of 83 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Kuwait, year by year

Annual values for Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes (number) in Kuwait, 1975 to 2018.
Year number Change
1975 161,973 number
1980 197,074 number +21.7%
1985 221,186 number +12.2%
1995 207,872 number -6.0%
2005 92,820 number -55.3%
2006 94,752 number +2.1%
2007 93,826 number -1.0%
2008 96,508 number +2.9%
2010 99,670 number +3.3%
2012 87,982 number -11.7%
2013 96,730 number +9.9%
2015 104,152 number +7.7%
2017 100,004 number -4.0%
2018 100,786 number +0.8%

Kuwait compared with similar countries

  • Kuwait's 100,786 number is above the median for high income countries, which is 68,175 number, 1.5× the median. (17 countries reporting)
  • Kuwait's 100,786 number is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 424,520 number, 24% of the median. (14 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Kuwait 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
2005 -55.3% 207,872 number 92,820 number

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 161,973 number 161,973 number 161,973 number 1
1980s 209,130 number 197,074 number 221,186 number 2
1990s 207,872 number 207,872 number 207,872 number 1
2000s 94,476 number 92,820 number 96,508 number 4
2010s 98,221 number 87,982 number 104,152 number 6

Countries ranked near Kuwait

  1. 54 Paraguay 145,358 number compare
  2. 55 Qatar 125,067 number compare
  3. 56 Oman 119,293 number compare
  4. 58 Namibia 80,338 number compare
  5. 59 Portugal 75,665 number compare
  6. 60 Panama 73,286 number compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Kuwait

All data for Kuwait →

Frequently asked questions

What is illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Kuwait?
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Kuwait was 100,786 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Kuwait?
The highest recorded value was 221,186 number in 1985.
What is the lowest illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Kuwait?
The lowest recorded value was 87,982 number in 2012.
How does Kuwait rank for illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes?
Kuwait ranks 57th out of 83 countries with data for 2018.
Is illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in Kuwait?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kuwait 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Kuwait. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/illiterate-population-25-64-years-both-sexes-number/kuwait/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/illiterate-population-25-64-years-both-sexes-number/kuwait/">Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Kuwait</a> — Statizoid

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.