Literacy rate, adult female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Literacy rate, adult female was 67.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1973–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 67.4%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 67.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 24.7%, in 1973.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 28th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 24.7% | — |
| 1974 | 25.0% | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 25.4% | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 25.8% | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 26.4% | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 27.0% | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 27.7% | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 28.4% | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 29.2% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 30.0% | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 30.9% | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 31.8% | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 32.8% | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 33.7% | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 34.6% | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 35.7% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 36.7% | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 38.8% | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 39.7% | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 40.8% | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 41.3% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 42.1% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 43.5% | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 44.6% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 45.8% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 47.0% | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 48.1% | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 49.3% | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 50.5% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 51.8% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 53.1% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 54.1% | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 55.1% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 55.3% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 56.2% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 58.1% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 58.9% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 59.5% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 60.1% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 60.9% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 61.3% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 62.0% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 63.0% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 62.9% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 63.2% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 63.4% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 63.9% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 64.6% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 65.2% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 66.0% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 66.8% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 67.4% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 26.0% | 24.7% | 27.7% | 7 |
| 1980s | 32.4% | 28.4% | 36.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.2% | 38.8% | 48.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.2% | 49.3% | 58.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.0% | 59.5% | 63.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.0% | 64.6% | 67.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More gender data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Labor force, female 53.25 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.0643 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 2.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Labor force, female, per square kilometre 4.05 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) 170.9% (2025)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female 13.02 years (2018)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male 13.36 years (2018)
- Proportion of women in ministerial level positions 13.5% (2025)
- Own-account workers, female (% of female employment) 13.1% (2016)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Literacy rate, adult female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 67.4% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 67.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.7% in 1973.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 28th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. 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 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.