Literacy rate, adult female in Arab World
Arab World: Literacy rate, adult female was 72.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in Arab World, 1979–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
Arab World recorded 72.0% for literacy rate, adult female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Arab World peaked at 72.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 33.5%, in 1979.
Arab World ranks 24th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in Arab World, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 33.5% | — |
| 1980 | 34.1% | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 34.8% | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 35.6% | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 35.9% | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 36.8% | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 37.6% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 38.5% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 39.4% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 40.4% | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 41.5% | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 42.6% | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 43.6% | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 44.7% | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 45.0% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 46.1% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 47.1% | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 48.4% | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 49.7% | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 51.0% | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 52.2% | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 53.4% | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 54.7% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 56.0% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 58.5% | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 59.6% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 60.4% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 59.1% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 59.9% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 61.1% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 62.1% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 63.0% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 65.1% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 66.0% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 67.4% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 67.6% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 68.5% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 67.6% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 68.5% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 69.0% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 69.5% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 70.0% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 70.4% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 71.0% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 71.5% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 72.0% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 33.5% | 33.5% | 33.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 37.5% | 34.1% | 41.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.0% | 42.6% | 52.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.5% | 53.4% | 62.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.2% | 63.0% | 69.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 71.0% | 70.0% | 72.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
More gender data for Arab World
- Labor force, female 27.41 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.0545 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 2.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Labor force, female, per square kilometre 2.02 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-49, female 0.092 per 1,000 uninfected female population ages 15-49 (2024)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-49, male 0.1271 per 1,000 uninfected male population ages 15-49 (2024)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-24, female 0.0887 per 1,000 uninfected female population ages 15-24 (2024)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-24, male 0.1065 per 1,000 uninfected male population ages 15-24 (2024)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) 211.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in Arab World?
- Literacy rate, adult female in Arab World was 72.0% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 72.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.5% in 1979.
- How does Arab World rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- Arab World ranks 24th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Arab World data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.