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

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male was 85.9% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
85.9%
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
22nd
of 39 groups
All-time high
86.5%
in 2015
All-time low
50.7%
in 1973
Years of data
47
1973–2019

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

020406080197319962019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan stood at 85.9%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 86.5% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 50.7%, 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, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1973 to 2019.
Year % Change
1973 50.7%
1974 51.3% +1.0%
1975 51.8% +1.1%
1976 52.2% +0.7%
1977 52.9% +1.4%
1978 53.6% +1.3%
1979 54.3% +1.3%
1980 55.1% +1.5%
1981 55.9% +1.4%
1982 56.8% +1.7%
1983 56.8% -0.0%
1984 57.7% +1.6%
1985 58.7% +1.7%
1986 59.4% +1.2%
1987 60.4% +1.6%
1988 61.5% +1.8%
1989 62.5% +1.7%
1990 65.0% +3.9%
1991 66.0% +1.6%
1992 67.1% +1.7%
1993 68.9% +2.7%
1994 69.9% +1.4%
1995 71.2% +2.0%
1996 72.3% +1.5%
1997 73.5% +1.6%
1998 74.8% +1.8%
1999 75.9% +1.4%
2000 76.9% +1.3%
2001 78.1% +1.5%
2002 79.3% +1.5%
2003 82.1% +3.6%
2004 82.9% +1.0%
2005 82.1% -1.0%
2006 81.6% -0.6%
2007 82.2% +0.7%
2008 82.8% +0.8%
2009 82.9% +0.2%
2010 83.4% +0.5%
2011 84.1% +0.8%
2012 85.1% +1.2%
2013 85.6% +0.6%
2014 85.8% +0.3%
2015 86.5% +0.8%
2016 84.9% -1.9%
2017 85.3% +0.5%
2018 85.7% +0.4%
2019 85.9% +0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 52.4% 50.7% 54.3% 7
1980s 58.5% 55.1% 62.5% 10
1990s 70.5% 65.0% 75.9% 10
2000s 81.1% 76.9% 82.9% 10
2010s 85.2% 83.4% 86.5% 10

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

  1. 19 Jordan 98.5% compare
  2. 20 Portugal 98.5% compare
  3. 21 Brunei Darussalam 98.2% compare
  4. 22 Philippines 98.1% compare
  5. 23 Indonesia 97.9% compare
  6. 24 Maldives 97.6% compare
  7. 25 Saudi Arabia 97.6% 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 literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 85.9% 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?
The highest recorded value was 86.5% in 2015.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 50.7% in 1973.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 22nd 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?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. 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, 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. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-male-percent/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/

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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.