Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 72.7% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1973–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan stood at 72.7%. That is the highest value across all 47 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 72.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 21.0%, in 1973.
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.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 21.0% | — |
| 1974 | 21.3% | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 21.7% | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 22.3% | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 22.6% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 23.2% | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 23.9% | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 24.5% | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 25.3% | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 26.2% | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 27.2% | +3.8% |
| 1984 | 28.0% | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 28.9% | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 29.9% | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 30.9% | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 32.2% | +4.3% |
| 1989 | 33.4% | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 36.4% | +8.9% |
| 1991 | 37.8% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 39.2% | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 40.5% | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 41.9% | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 44.1% | +5.2% |
| 1996 | 45.9% | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 47.3% | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 49.1% | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 50.8% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 52.3% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 54.0% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 55.6% | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 58.9% | +5.9% |
| 2004 | 60.5% | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 60.7% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 61.2% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 62.2% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 63.5% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 64.8% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 65.9% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 67.1% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 67.9% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 67.9% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 70.1% | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 71.3% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 70.4% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 71.5% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 72.1% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 72.7% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 22.3% | 21.0% | 23.9% | 7 |
| 1980s | 28.7% | 24.5% | 33.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.3% | 36.4% | 50.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.4% | 52.3% | 64.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.7% | 65.9% | 72.7% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- 19 Seychelles 98.1% compare
- 20 Brunei Darussalam 98.1% compare
- 21 Malta 97.9% compare
- 22 China 97.7% compare
- 23 Chile 97.4% compare
- 24 Macau, China 97.3% compare
- 25 Colombia 96.3% compare
More reference data data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 9.59 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 4.67 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 4.92 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 6.07 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, female 5.96 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, male 6.17 years (2019)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 88.9% (2019)
- School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes 0.633 years (2019)
- Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, adjusted gender parity 1.07 GPIA (2019)
- Teachers in primary education, male 864,804 number (2019)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 72.7% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 72.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.0% in 1973.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 22nd out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.2%. 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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the female 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 female literates aged 25-64 years by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.