Ammon News - The illiteracy rate among the Kingdom's population went down to reach 5% last year 2023, compared to 11% in 2000.

In a statement Saturday, Department of Statistics (DoS), on the occasion of International Literacy Day (ILD), which falls on September 8, said results of the main Labor Force Survey in Jordan in 2023 showed a disparity in men-women illiteracy rates, as the women's rate was higher than their male peers, reaching 2.5% and 7.4% for males and females, respectively.

The DoS figures showed that the highest illiteracy rate concentrated among individuals in the age group 65 years and over, reaching 24.8% at the Kingdom's level.

The results also revealed a decrease in the youth illiteracy rate in the age group 15-24 years, reaching 0.8%, meaning that the illiteracy rate is almost non-existent among the youth.

The results of the 2023 Labor Force Survey also showed a difference in illiteracy rates among Jordan's governorates, for men or women, as the highest illiteracy rates were recorded in the Kingdom's southern governorates of Ma'an and Tafilah, which reached 9.7% and 8.6% (4.4% and 2.3% for males, and 15.0% and 14.5% for females), respectively.

Meanwhile, the northern Irbid governorate registered the lowest illiteracy rate in the Kingdom at 3.4% and the lowest level for males and females was 1.7% and 5.2%, respectively.

Additionally, the results showed that illiteracy rates, based on the economic activity status among Jordanian workers aged 15 years and over stood at 0.6%, while the rate for the unemployed people reached 0.6% and among the economically inactive population at 7.2%.

The literacy index is part of the sustainable development goals, as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) supports Jordan in achieving the vision to reduce the illiteracy rate among the elderly by 2030. Petra