Literacy rate, adult female in Palestine

Palestine: Literacy rate, adult female was 96.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
96.8%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
18th
of 89 countries
All-time high
96.8%
in 2024
All-time low
79.8%
in 1997
Years of data
20
1997–2024

Literacy rate, adult female in Palestine, 1997–2024

0204060801001997201020241997: 79.8 % of females ages 15 and above2004: 88.8 % of females ages 15 and above2006: 89.8 % of females ages 15 and above2007: 90.3 % of females ages 15 and above2008: 90.8 % of females ages 15 and above2009: 91.5 % of females ages 15 and above2010: 91.8 % of females ages 15 and above2011: 92.2 % of females ages 15 and above2012: 93.2 % of females ages 15 and above2013: 93.8 % of females ages 15 and above2014: 94.1 % of females ages 15 and above2015: 94.5 % of females ages 15 and above2016: 94.9 % of females ages 15 and above2017: 95.3 % of females ages 15 and above2018: 95.7 % of females ages 15 and above2019: 95.9 % of females ages 15 and above2020: 96.2 % of females ages 15 and above2021: 96.6 % of females ages 15 and above2022: 96.7 % of females ages 15 and above2024: 96.8 % of females ages 15 and above

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.

Analysis

Palestine recorded 96.8% for literacy rate, adult female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Palestine peaked at 96.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 79.8%, in 1997.

That places Palestine 18th out of 89 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.

Literacy rate, adult female in Palestine, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above) in Palestine, 1997 to 2024.
Year % of females ages 15 and above Change
1997 79.8%
2004 88.8% +11.3%
2006 89.8% +1.1%
2007 90.3% +0.7%
2008 90.8% +0.4%
2009 91.5% +0.8%
2010 91.8% +0.4%
2011 92.2% +0.4%
2012 93.2% +1.1%
2013 93.8% +0.6%
2014 94.1% +0.4%
2015 94.5% +0.5%
2016 94.9% +0.4%
2017 95.3% +0.4%
2018 95.7% +0.5%
2019 95.9% +0.2%
2020 96.2% +0.3%
2021 96.6% +0.4%
2022 96.7% +0.2%
2024 96.8% +0.1%

Palestine compared with similar countries

  • Palestine's 96.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 71.4%, 1.4× the median. (30 countries reporting)
  • Palestine's 96.8% 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 79.8% 79.8% 79.8% 1
2000s 90.2% 88.8% 91.5% 5
2010s 94.2% 91.8% 95.9% 10
2020s 96.6% 96.2% 96.8% 4

Countries ranked near Palestine

  1. 15 Venezuela 97.2% compare
  2. 16 Albania 97.2% compare
  3. 17 Philippines 97.0% compare
  4. 19 Saudi Arabia 96.7% compare
  5. 20 Lesotho 96.6% compare
  6. 21 Singapore 96.4% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More gender data for Palestine

All data for Palestine →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, adult female in Palestine?
Literacy rate, adult female in Palestine was 96.8% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Palestine?
The highest recorded value was 96.8% in 2024.
What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Palestine?
The lowest recorded value was 79.8% in 1997.
How does Palestine rank for literacy rate, adult female?
Palestine ranks 18th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Palestine?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Palestine 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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Literacy rate, adult female in Palestine. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-adult-female-percent-of-females-ages-15-and-above/west-bank-and-gaza/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above)
Unit
% of females ages 15 and above
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
128 places, 2,600 data points, 1973–2024
Last refreshed

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.