Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male was 16.52 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
16.52 million number
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
22nd
of 39 groups
All-time high
16.59 million number
in 2016
All-time low
12.12 million number
in 2004
Years of data
47
1973–2019

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1973–2019

05.0M10.0M15.0M197319962019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan stood at 16.52 million number.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 10.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 16.59 million number in 2016 and was at its lowest, 12.12 million number, in 2004.

That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 22nd out of 39 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year

Annual values for Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male (number) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1973 to 2019.
Year number Change
1973 12.37 million number
1974 12.56 million number +1.6%
1975 12.78 million number +1.7%
1976 13.06 million number +2.2%
1977 13.29 million number +1.8%
1978 13.56 million number +2.0%
1979 13.85 million number +2.1%
1980 14.11 million number +1.9%
1981 14.35 million number +1.7%
1982 14.55 million number +1.4%
1983 15.09 million number +3.7%
1984 15.32 million number +1.6%
1985 15.51 million number +1.2%
1986 15.75 million number +1.5%
1987 15.90 million number +1.0%
1988 16.00 million number +0.6%
1989 16.12 million number +0.8%
1990 15.61 million number -3.2%
1991 15.69 million number +0.6%
1992 15.72 million number +0.2%
1993 15.38 million number -2.2%
1994 15.44 million number +0.3%
1995 15.21 million number -1.4%
1996 15.04 million number -1.1%
1997 14.83 million number -1.4%
1998 14.48 million number -2.4%
1999 14.28 million number -1.4%
2000 14.12 million number -1.1%
2001 13.87 million number -1.8%
2002 13.60 million number -1.9%
2003 12.19 million number -10.4%
2004 12.12 million number -0.6%
2005 13.26 million number +9.4%
2006 14.19 million number +7.1%
2007 14.34 million number +1.1%
2008 14.43 million number +0.6%
2009 14.93 million number +3.4%
2010 15.14 million number +1.4%
2011 15.02 million number -0.8%
2012 14.59 million number -2.9%
2013 14.56 million number -0.2%
2014 14.75 million number +1.3%
2015 14.49 million number -1.7%
2016 16.59 million number +14.5%
2017 16.49 million number -0.6%
2018 16.44 million number -0.3%
2019 16.52 million number +0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 13.07 million number 12.37 million number 13.85 million number 7
1980s 15.27 million number 14.11 million number 16.12 million number 10
1990s 15.17 million number 14.28 million number 15.72 million number 10
2000s 13.71 million number 12.12 million number 14.93 million number 10
2010s 15.46 million number 14.49 million number 16.59 million number 10

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

  1. 19 Mozambique 1.20 million number compare
  2. 20 Madagascar 1.14 million number compare
  3. 21 Algeria 1.11 million number compare
  4. 22 Thailand 1.03 million number compare
  5. 23 Benin 1.02 million number compare
  6. 24 Viet Nam 1.02 million number compare
  7. 25 Senegal 959,346 number compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 16.52 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest illiterate population, 25-64 years, male recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 16.59 million number in 2016.
What is the lowest illiterate population, 25-64 years, male recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 12.12 million number in 2004.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for illiterate population, 25-64 years, male?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 22nd out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is illiterate population, 25-64 years, male rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/illiterate-population-25-64-years-male-number/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/

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About this data

Indicator
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,243 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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