Report: Literacy Rates in Palestine Among the Lowest in the World

SadaNews: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines an illiterate person as someone who cannot read or write a simple sentence about their daily life. The literacy rates in Palestine are among the lowest in the world (2.1% among individuals aged 15 and older) for the year 2023, while the literacy rate among Palestinians aged 15 and older in the occupied territories of 1948 was 3.6% in 2017 according to data from the Galilee Society (Rakaaz). Meanwhile, the literacy rate among individuals aged 15 and older in West Asia and North Africa was 19.0% in 2022 according to data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, with 24.6% among females compared to 13.7% among males. In the same year, the global literacy rate among individuals aged 15 and older was 13.0%, with 16.2% among females and 9.7% among males.

Due to the ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip, it has been impossible to collect workforce survey data for the year 2024, thus we present in the following paragraphs the literacy rates among individuals aged 15 and older in the West Bank only.

The Gap in Literacy Rates Between Males and Females is Narrowing

The literacy rate among individuals aged 15 and older in the West Bank was 2.1% in 2024, with 0.9% among males compared to 3.3% among females for the same year, while the literacy rate among males aged 15 and older in the West Bank was 7.3% in 1997, compared to 21.1% among females in the same age group and year.

18 Illiterate Individuals Among Every 100 Seniors

The distribution of illiterates in the West Bank varies by age groups; the age group of 65 and older recorded the highest illiteracy rate, while the age group (15-29 years) recorded the lowest. The illiteracy rate among seniors aged 65 and older was 18.3% in 2024, while it was 2.1% for the age group (45-64 years), and 0.9% for the age group (30-44 years), whereas this rate among youth (15-29 years) was 0.6% for the same year.

Rural Communities Recorded the Highest Illiteracy Rate

The illiteracy rate in rural communities in the West Bank was 2.4%, 2.0% in urban communities, and 1.9% in camps in 2024.