Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Colombia
Colombia: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 1.69 million in 2020. ▼ Falling
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Colombia, 2004–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2020, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Colombia stood at 1.69 million. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is down 5.6% on the previous year and down 20.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Colombia peaked at 2.29 million in 2006 and was at its lowest, 1.69 million, in 2020.
That places Colombia 24th out of 59 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Colombia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 2.06 million | — |
| 2005 | 2.08 million | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 2.29 million | +9.6% |
| 2007 | 2.23 million | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 2.04 million | -8.3% |
| 2009 | 2.12 million | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 2.12 million | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 2.09 million | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 1.98 million | -4.9% |
| 2015 | 2.00 million | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 1.88 million | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 1.80 million | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 1.79 million | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 1.69 million | -5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.14 million | 2.04 million | 2.29 million | 6 |
| 2010s | 1.95 million | 1.79 million | 2.12 million | 7 |
| 2020s | 1.69 million | 1.69 million | 1.69 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More education data for Colombia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 190,940 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 234,939 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 963,182 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 937,684 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.85 million (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.14 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.2 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.08 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Colombia?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Colombia was 1.69 million in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.29 million in 2006.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.69 million in 2020.
- How does Colombia rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- Colombia ranks 24th out of 59 countries with data for 2020.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Colombia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release