Adult Literacy Rate in Iran

Iran: Adult Literacy Rate was 88.92 in 2023. β–² Rising

Latest (2023)
88.92
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
60th
of 110 countries
All-time high
88.92
in 2023
All-time low
36.52
in 1976
Years of data
23
1976–2023

Adult Literacy Rate in Iran, 1976–2023

0204060801976199920231976: 36.51986: 52.31991: 65.51996: 73.12002: 772005: 82.42006: 82.32008: 832009: 83.22010: 83.72011: 83.52012: 83.62013: 84.62014: 84.72015: 85.32016: 85.52017: 85.92018: 86.92019: 87.42020: 87.92021: 88.52022: 88.62023: 88.9

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

Iran recorded 88.92 for adult literacy rate in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult literacy rate in Iran peaked at 88.92 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 36.52, in 1976.

Iran ranks 60th of 110 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 36.52 36.52 36.52 1
1980s 52.32 52.32 52.32 1
1990s 69.3 65.53 73.06 2
2000s 81.59 77 83.22 5
2010s 85.12 83.52 87.38 10
2020s 88.47 87.9 88.92 4

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 57 Lesotho 90.45 compare
  2. 58 Zimbabwe 89.85 compare
  3. 59 El Salvador 89.77 compare
  4. 61 Cabo Verde 88.47 compare
  5. 62 Honduras 88.25 compare
  6. 63 Vanuatu 87.96 compare

See the full ranking of 110 places β†’

More gender data for Iran

All data for Iran β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is adult literacy rate in Iran?
Adult literacy rate in Iran was 88.92 in 2023, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest adult literacy rate recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 88.92 in 2023.
What is the lowest adult literacy rate recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 36.52 in 1976.
How does Iran rank for adult literacy rate?
Iran ranks 60th out of 110 countries with data for 2023.
Is adult literacy rate rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iran data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Adult Literacy Rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Adult Literacy Rate in Iran. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/adult-literacy-rate/iran-islamic-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult Literacy Rate
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
110 places, 1,086 data points, 1975–2024
Last refreshed

Gender-disaggregated data on educational outcomes.