Literacy rate, adult female in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Literacy rate, adult female was 96.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in Saudi Arabia, 1992–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, adult female in Saudi Arabia stood at 96.7%. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Saudi Arabia peaked at 96.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 57.3%, in 1992.
That places Saudi Arabia 19th out of 89 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
Literacy rate, adult female in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 57.3% | — |
| 2000 | 69.3% | +21.0% |
| 2004 | 76.3% | +10.2% |
| 2013 | 91.4% | +19.7% |
| 2017 | 92.7% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 96.0% | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 96.7% | +0.7% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 96.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 96.4%, 1.0× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 96.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 88.6%, 1.1× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.3% | 57.3% | 57.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 72.8% | 69.3% | 76.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 92.0% | 91.4% | 92.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 96.4% | 96.0% | 96.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More gender data for Saudi Arabia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 8,519 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.7629 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 28,924 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 28,924 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.65 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 275,243 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 288,722 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 275,525 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 288,548 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 263,011 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in Saudi Arabia?
- Literacy rate, adult female in Saudi Arabia was 96.7% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 96.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.3% in 1992.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 19th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.