Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male was 83.0% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
83.0%
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
24th
of 39 groups
All-time high
83.7%
in 2015
All-time low
47.0%
in 1971
Years of data
49
1971–2019

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 1971–2019

020406080197119952019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) is 83.0%, measured in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) peaked at 83.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 47.0%, in 1971.

That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 24th 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 49 years of available data.

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 1971 to 2019.
Year % Change
1971 47.0%
1972 47.5% +1.0%
1973 47.9% +1.0%
1974 48.4% +1.0%
1975 48.9% +1.1%
1976 49.3% +0.7%
1977 50.0% +1.4%
1978 50.7% +1.4%
1979 51.3% +1.3%
1980 52.1% +1.6%
1981 52.9% +1.5%
1982 53.7% +1.6%
1983 53.6% -0.3%
1984 54.5% +1.6%
1985 55.5% +1.9%
1986 56.4% +1.5%
1987 57.5% +2.0%
1988 58.6% +1.9%
1989 59.6% +1.8%
1990 62.3% +4.5%
1991 63.4% +1.7%
1992 64.6% +2.0%
1993 66.6% +3.1%
1994 67.6% +1.5%
1995 69.1% +2.3%
1996 70.3% +1.7%
1997 71.5% +1.7%
1998 72.8% +1.9%
1999 73.9% +1.5%
2000 74.9% +1.4%
2001 76.2% +1.7%
2002 77.3% +1.5%
2003 80.9% +4.6%
2004 81.7% +1.0%
2005 80.6% -1.4%
2006 79.8% -0.9%
2007 80.4% +0.7%
2008 80.9% +0.7%
2009 80.9% +0.0%
2010 81.4% +0.5%
2011 81.3% -0.0%
2012 82.5% +1.4%
2013 83.0% +0.6%
2014 83.2% +0.3%
2015 83.7% +0.6%
2016 81.8% -2.4%
2017 82.3% +0.6%
2018 82.7% +0.5%
2019 83.0% +0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 49.0% 47.0% 51.3% 9
1980s 55.4% 52.1% 59.6% 10
1990s 68.2% 62.3% 73.9% 10
2000s 79.4% 74.9% 81.7% 10
2010s 82.5% 81.3% 83.7% 10

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)

  1. 21 Brunei 98.2% compare
  2. 22 Philippines 98.1% compare
  3. 23 Indonesia 97.9% compare
  4. 24 Maldives 97.6% compare
  5. 25 Saudi Arabia 97.6% compare
  6. 26 Venezuela 97.4% compare
  7. 27 Oman 97.4% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) was 83.0% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
The highest recorded value was 83.7% in 2015.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
The lowest recorded value was 47.0% in 1971.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 24th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-male-percent/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-excluding-high-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,219 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of the male 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 male literates aged 25-64 years by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.