Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 84.1% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Low & middle income, 1975–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Low & middle income stood at 84.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Low & middle income peaked at 84.1% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 54.4%, in 1975.
Low & middle income ranks 19th of 38 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 54.4% | — |
| 1976 | 54.5% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 54.8% | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 55.6% | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 56.4% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 57.0% | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 58.1% | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 59.5% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 59.6% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 60.5% | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 61.3% | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 62.1% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 62.9% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 65.4% | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 66.2% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 67.0% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 67.7% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 68.5% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 69.3% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 70.1% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 70.8% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 71.5% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 74.3% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 76.1% | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 76.7% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 77.3% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 77.6% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 78.0% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 78.6% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 79.1% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 79.0% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 79.2% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 79.5% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 80.1% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 80.4% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 81.1% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 81.3% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 81.7% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 82.0% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 82.5% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 83.0% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 83.4% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 83.6% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 83.9% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 84.1% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 55.2% | 54.4% | 56.4% | 5 |
| 1980s | 61.3% | 57.0% | 66.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.2% | 67.0% | 76.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.9% | 77.3% | 80.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.7% | 81.1% | 84.1% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More reference data data for Low & middle income
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 5.72 years (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 61.84 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 57.86 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 119.71 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, female 5.66 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, male 5.79 years (2019)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 90.6% (2019)
- School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes 1.54 years (2019)
- Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, adjusted gender parity 1.11 GPIA (2019)
- Teachers in primary education, male 9.78 million number (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Low & middle income?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Low & middle income was 84.1% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 84.1% in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.4% in 1975.
- How does Low & middle income rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- Low & middle income ranks 19th out of 38 groups with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low & middle income data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Percentage of the population between age 25 and age 64 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 literates aged 25-64 years by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.