El Salvador vs Iran: Literate and illiterate world population

El Salvador
10.2%
in 2024
Iran
11.1%
in 2023
El Salvador rank
54th
Iran rank
53rd

Literate and illiterate world population over time

  • El Salvador
  • Iran
20406080195019872024

How they compare

Iran currently reports 11.1% against 10.2% in El Salvador, a difference of 0.9%.

That makes Iran's figure about 1.1 times El Salvador's.

Across all 18 years both countries report, Iran has been ahead every year.

El Salvador ranks 54th and Iran ranks 53rd of 128 countries.

Iran has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade El Salvador Iran Difference Ahead
1950s 62.5% 87.5% 25.0% Iran
2000s 16.1% 17.2% 1.0% Iran
2010s 12.8% 14.9% 2.1% Iran
2020s 10.4% 11.5% 1.1% Iran

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher literate and illiterate world population, El Salvador or Iran?
Iran, at 11.1% against 10.2% in El Salvador as of 2023.
What is the difference in literate and illiterate world population between El Salvador and Iran?
0.9%, with Iran ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for El Salvador and Iran?
18 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
How do El Salvador and Iran rank globally for literate and illiterate world population?
El Salvador ranks 54th and Iran ranks 53rd of 128 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Literate and illiterate world population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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El Salvador vs Iran: Literate and illiterate world population. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/literate-and-illiterate-world-population/el-salvador/iran-islamic-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Literate and illiterate world population
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,272 data points, 1475–2024
Last refreshed

Share of adults who cannot read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.