Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in World

World: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male was 90.0% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
90.0%
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
16th
of 39 groups
All-time high
90.0%
in 2019
All-time low
72.6%
in 1976
Years of data
44
1976–2019

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in World, 1976–2019

0204060801001976199720191976: 72.6 %1977: 72.8 %1978: 73.4 %1979: 73.9 %1980: 74.4 %1981: 75.2 %1982: 76.2 %1983: 76.1 %1984: 76.7 %1985: 77.2 %1986: 77.8 %1987: 78.3 %1988: 79.7 %1989: 80.1 %1990: 80.6 %1991: 80.9 %1992: 81.4 %1993: 81.9 %1994: 82.4 %1995: 82.8 %1996: 83.2 %1997: 84.5 %1998: 85.8 %1999: 86.1 %2000: 86.5 %2001: 86.6 %2002: 86.9 %2003: 87.3 %2004: 87.7 %2005: 87.6 %2006: 87.7 %2007: 87.7 %2008: 88.1 %2009: 88.3 %2010: 88.3 %2011: 88.4 %2012: 88.7 %2013: 88.9 %2014: 89.1 %2015: 89.5 %2016: 89.7 %2017: 89.7 %2018: 89.9 %2019: 90 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in World stood at 90.0%. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.

The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in World peaked at 90.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 72.6%, in 1976.

World ranks 16th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in World, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%) in World, 1976 to 2019.
Year % Change
1976 72.6% —
1977 72.8% +0.3%
1978 73.4% +0.7%
1979 73.9% +0.7%
1980 74.4% +0.6%
1981 75.2% +1.0%
1982 76.2% +1.4%
1983 76.1% -0.1%
1984 76.7% +0.8%
1985 77.2% +0.7%
1986 77.8% +0.7%
1987 78.3% +0.7%
1988 79.7% +1.7%
1989 80.1% +0.5%
1990 80.6% +0.6%
1991 80.9% +0.4%
1992 81.4% +0.6%
1993 81.9% +0.6%
1994 82.4% +0.6%
1995 82.8% +0.5%
1996 83.2% +0.5%
1997 84.5% +1.5%
1998 85.8% +1.6%
1999 86.1% +0.4%
2000 86.5% +0.4%
2001 86.6% +0.1%
2002 86.9% +0.4%
2003 87.3% +0.5%
2004 87.7% +0.4%
2005 87.6% -0.1%
2006 87.7% +0.1%
2007 87.7% +0.0%
2008 88.1% +0.4%
2009 88.3% +0.2%
2010 88.3% +0.1%
2011 88.4% +0.1%
2012 88.7% +0.3%
2013 88.9% +0.2%
2014 89.1% +0.3%
2015 89.5% +0.3%
2016 89.7% +0.2%
2017 89.7% +0.1%
2018 89.9% +0.1%
2019 90.0% +0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 73.2% 72.6% 73.9% 4
1980s 77.2% 74.4% 80.1% 10
1990s 83.0% 80.6% 86.1% 10
2000s 87.4% 86.5% 88.3% 10
2010s 89.2% 88.3% 90.0% 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 13 Bahrain 99.0% compare
  2. 14 Argentina 99.0% compare
  3. 15 Palestine 98.9% compare
  4. 16 Macao 98.8% compare
  5. 17 Greece 98.6% compare
  6. 18 Uruguay 98.6% compare
  7. 19 Jordan 98.5% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in World?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in World was 90.0% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 90.0% in 2019.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 72.6% in 1976.
How does World rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male?
World ranks 16th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this World 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 World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-male-percent/world/

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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.