Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates: Adult literacy

Adult literacy in 2024: 97.9% in Saudi Arabia and 98.8% in United Arab Emirates, by UNESCO estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 0.9 percentage points, or 1.01 times that in Saudi Arabia.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

Saudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesWorld

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2024.
The world as a whole: 87.7% in 2024.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	Saudi Arabia	United Arab Emirates	World
2024	97.9	98.8	87.7
2023	–	98.1	87.6
2022	–	98.3	87.4
2021	–	98.1	87.2
2020	97.6	–	87
2019	–	97.8	86.8
2018	–	–	86.8
2017	95.3	–	86.5
2016	–	–	86.3
2015	–	–	86
2014	–	–	85.6
2013	94.4	–	85.2
2012	–	–	84.9
2011	–	–	84.7
2010	–	–	84.4
2009	–	–	83.8
2008	–	–	83.5
2007	–	–	83.1
2006	–	–	82.5
2005	–	90	82.6
2004	82.9	–	82.6
2003	–	–	82.2
2002	–	–	81.7
2001	–	–	81.4
2000	79.4	–	81.1
1999	–	–	80.9
1998	–	–	80.5
1997	–	–	79.3
1996	–	–	77.3
1995	–	–	76.9
1994	–	–	76.4
1993	–	–	76
1992	70.8	–	75.5
1991	–	–	75.1
1990	–	–	74.6
1989	–	–	74.1
1988	–	–	73.6
1987	–	–	71.9
1986	–	–	71.3
1985	–	71.2	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	–	–	65.6
1975	–	53.5	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

Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSaudi Arabia: 31 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022