Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)

Press Release by Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on the occasion of International Literacy Day 08/09/2020

The illiteracy rate in Palestine is one of the lowest in the world

According to the United Nations for Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), an illiterate person applies to persons unable to read and write with understanding a simple statement related to one’s daily life.  This rate reached 2.6% among Palestinian population (15 years and above).

According to UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the illiteracy rate among persons (15 years and above) in Arab States was 25.2% (about 68.9 million illiterate persons) in 2018;18.4% for males (26.3 million illiterate persons), compared to 32.6% for females (42.6 million illiterate persons). In the same year, the rate was 13.7% (about 772.8 million illiterate persons) in the world among the same age group; 10.2% for males (286.6 million illiterate persons) compared to 17.2% for females (486.2 million illiterate persons).

187 literacy centers in Palestine

The Ministry of Education data showed that the number of literacy centers in Palestine was 187 centers;162 centers in the West Bank and 25 centers in Gaza Strip for the scholastic year 2018/2019. The number of students enrolled in these centers was 2,307; 1,035 of them  were males and 1,272 females.

The illiteracy rates decreased by 81% through the last two decades

Illiteracy rates among the Palestinian population (15 years and above) in Palestine fell in the period 1997-2019 from 13.9% to 2.6%.  Hence, the rate fell from 7.8% in 1997 to 1.2% in 2019 among males, while it fell from 20.3% to 4.1% among females over the same period.

According to region, the rate fell from 14.1% in 1997 to 2.9% in 2019 in the West Bank, while it fell from 13.7% in 1997 to 2.2% in 2019 in Gaza Strip.

The illiteracy rate among females is higher than of males

In 2019, the illiteracy rate among persons (15 years and above) in Palestine was 2.6% (80.4 thousand illiterate persons): 1.2% for males (18.5 thousand illiterate persons) and 4.1% for females (61.9 thousand illiterate persons). According to region, the illiteracy rate among persons (15 years and above) in the West Bank was 2.9% (54.8 thousand illiterate persons): 1.3% for males (12.0 thousand illiterate persons) and 4.6% for females (42.8 thousand illiterate persons) in the same year. While the illiteracy rate among persons (15 years and above) in Gaza Strip was 2.2% (25.6 thousand illiterate persons): 1.1% for males (6.5 thousand illiterate persons) and 3.3% for females (19.1 thousand illiterate persons).

More than half of illiterate persons are elderly

The illiteracy rate varies considerably between age groups, where the age group (65 years and above) recorded the highest rate, while the lowest rate was among the age groups (30-44 years) and (15-29 years).

Percentage distribution and number of illiterate persons

 (15 years and above)  by age group and sex,  2019

In 2019, the illiteracy rate among older persons (65 years and above) reached about 27.9% (45.6 thousand illiterate persons). The rate was about 2.9% (17.5 thousand illiterate persons) among the age group (45-64 year),0.8% (7.1 thousand illiterate persons) among the age group (30-44 year)and 0.7% (10.2 thousand illiterate persons) among youth (15-29 years) in the same year.

73% of illiterate persons live in Urban areas

In 2019, the illiteracy rate among rural localities reached 3.2% (15.3 thousand illiterate persons), while it scored 2.6% in refugee camps (6.6 thousand illiterate persons) and 2.5% (58.5 thousand illiterate persons) in urban areas.