Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male was 82.8% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
82.8%
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
25th
of 39 groups
All-time high
83.6%
in 2015
All-time low
46.6%
in 1971
Years of data
49
1971–2019

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 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 (IDA & IBRD) is 82.8%, measured in 2019.

That represents a change of 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 (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 83.6% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 46.6%, in 1971.

That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 25th 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 (IDA & IBRD), year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 1971 to 2019.
Year % Change
1971 46.6%
1972 47.1% +1.0%
1973 47.6% +1.0%
1974 48.1% +1.0%
1975 48.6% +1.1%
1976 48.9% +0.7%
1977 49.7% +1.5%
1978 50.3% +1.4%
1979 51.0% +1.4%
1980 51.8% +1.6%
1981 52.6% +1.5%
1982 53.4% +1.6%
1983 53.3% -0.3%
1984 54.2% +1.7%
1985 55.3% +2.0%
1986 56.1% +1.5%
1987 57.2% +2.0%
1988 58.3% +2.0%
1989 59.4% +1.8%
1990 62.1% +4.6%
1991 63.1% +1.7%
1992 64.4% +2.0%
1993 66.4% +3.1%
1994 67.4% +1.5%
1995 68.9% +2.3%
1996 70.1% +1.7%
1997 71.3% +1.7%
1998 72.6% +1.9%
1999 73.7% +1.5%
2000 74.8% +1.4%
2001 76.0% +1.7%
2002 77.2% +1.5%
2003 80.8% +4.7%
2004 81.6% +1.0%
2005 80.4% -1.4%
2006 79.7% -1.0%
2007 80.2% +0.7%
2008 80.8% +0.7%
2009 80.8% +0.0%
2010 81.2% +0.5%
2011 81.2% -0.0%
2012 82.3% +1.4%
2013 82.8% +0.6%
2014 83.0% +0.3%
2015 83.6% +0.6%
2016 81.6% -2.4%
2017 82.1% +0.6%
2018 82.5% +0.5%
2019 82.8% +0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 48.7% 46.6% 51.0% 9
1980s 55.2% 51.8% 59.4% 10
1990s 68.0% 62.1% 73.7% 10
2000s 79.2% 74.8% 81.6% 10
2010s 82.3% 81.2% 83.6% 10

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

  1. 22 Philippines 98.1% compare
  2. 23 Indonesia 97.9% compare
  3. 24 Maldives 97.6% compare
  4. 25 Saudi Arabia 97.6% compare
  5. 26 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 97.4% compare
  6. 27 Oman 97.4% compare
  7. 28 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 97.4% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) was 82.8% 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 (IDA & IBRD)?
The highest recorded value was 83.6% in 2015.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
The lowest recorded value was 46.6% in 1971.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 25th 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 (IDA & IBRD)?
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 (IDA & IBRD) 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 (IDA & IBRD). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-male-percent/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-ida-and-ibrd/

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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.