The ALECSO Observatory has recently released its 9th Statistical Bulletin under the title : “Illiteracy in the Arab World : Current Status and Future Estimates by 2030”.
The Bulletin reveals that the number of illiterates in the Arab world could reach nearly 100 million people by the year 2030.
The available data indicate that the number of illiterates (in the 15-years-and-over age group) in the Arab countries has significantly increased in recent years, from about 61 million in 2016 to nearly 70 million in 2020. This number represents 9.1% of the total illiterates in the world (763 million). Females represent about 62% of the total illiterates in the Arab world, which is not far from the global percentage.
The Bulletin also shows that the literacy rate in the Arab countries decreased from 76.1% in 2014 to 73.6% in 2020, and that the number of those who are unable to read and write is significantly on the rise.
The Bulletin states that according to the available data and indicators, Target 4.6 (“ensure that, by 2030, all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy) remains difficult to achieve in the Arab countries, and that illiteracy could further increase, with estimates that the number of illiterates in the Arab world could reach about 98.6 million (15 years and over) by 2030, including 8.8 million illiterate youth (15-24 years old).
The Bulletin warns that these estimates could even be higher if the current tragic situation in several Arab countries is not properly addressed as soon as possible.
Link to the Bulletin
https://observatory.alecso.org/Data/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/nashra9.pdf
