Iran vs Saudi Arabia
Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 88.9% in Iran in 2023 and 97.9% in Saudi Arabia in 2024, by UNESCO estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 9.7 percentage points, or 1.11 times that in Iran.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2013.
- The world as a whole: 87% in 2020.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Iran | Saudi Arabia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | 97.9 | 87.7 |
| 2023 | 88.9 | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | 88.6 | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 88.5 | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | 87.9 | 97.6 | 87 |
| 2019 | 87.4 | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | 86.9 | – | 86.8 |
| 2017 | 86 | 95.3 | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 85.5 | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | 85.3 | – | 86 |
| 2014 | 84.7 | – | 85.6 |
| 2013 | 84.6 | 94.4 | 85.2 |
| 2012 | 83.6 | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 83.5 | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | 83.7 | – | 84.4 |
| 2009 | 83.2 | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | 83 | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | 82.3 | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | 82.4 | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | 82.9 | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | 77 | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | 79.4 | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | 73.1 | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | 70.8 | 75.5 |
| 1991 | 65.5 | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | 52.3 | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | 36.5 | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Iran vs Saudi Arabia
Health
- Life expectancyIran: 77.7 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIran: 1.1 per 100 live births in 2024Saudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIran: 9.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Saudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionIran: 5.12% in 2017Saudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateIran: 5.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Saudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIran: 90.6 million people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthIran: 1.12% a year in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIran: 1.7 births per woman in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIran: 77.4% in 2025Saudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025
- Median ageIran: 32.9 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIran: 7.9% in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateIran: 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIran: 2.09% of GDP in 2025Saudi Arabia: 6.48% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIran: $7.45B in 2025Saudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personIran: $80 in 2025Saudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIran: 11.2% of government spending in 2025Saudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelIran: 650,000 people in 2020Saudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020
- National powerIran: 1.64% of world capability in 2022Saudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIran: 2.35% of the labour force in 2020Saudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIran: 42 million TIV in 2024Saudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIran: 80 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023