Illiteracy Rate in Palestine is One of the Lowest in the World: PCBS

Gaza, MINA – The illiteracy rate among the Palestinian population 15 years and above in Palestine reached 2.6% in 2019, on Tuesday said the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), as the rate was 25.2% in the Arab states and 13.7% in the world among the same age group, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics, making Palestine one of the lowest in the world in illiteracy rate.

Illiteracy rate among the Palestinian population 15 years and above in Palestine fell in the period 1997-2019 from 13.9% to 2.6%, said the PCBS marking International Literacy Day. 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, WAFA reported.

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, said the PCBS.

The illiteracy rate varies considerably between age groups. While the age group 65 years and above recorded the highest rate, the lowest rate was among the age groups 30 to 44 years and 15 to 29 years of age.

In 2019, the illiteracy rate among rural localities reached 3.2%, while it scored 2.6% in refugee camps and 2.5% in urban areas.(T/R3/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)