Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426)
ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 17.03 million in 2023. ▼ Falling
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426), 1996–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426) is 17.03 million, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426) peaked at 17.94 million in 1996 and was at its lowest, 15.14 million, in 2017.
ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426) ranks 150th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 17.94 million | — |
| 1997 | 17.73 million | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 17.39 million | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 17.19 million | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 17.01 million | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 16.83 million | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 16.51 million | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 16.53 million | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 16.39 million | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 16.51 million | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 16.67 million | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 16.43 million | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 16.61 million | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 16.88 million | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 16.93 million | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 16.25 million | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 16.59 million | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 16.42 million | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 16.05 million | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 15.46 million | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 15.34 million | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 15.14 million | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 15.46 million | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 15.77 million | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 16.04 million | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 16.25 million | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 16.57 million | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 17.03 million | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.56 million | 17.19 million | 17.94 million | 4 |
| 2000s | 16.63 million | 16.39 million | 17.01 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.94 million | 15.14 million | 16.93 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.47 million | 16.04 million | 17.03 million | 4 |
More education data for ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.30 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 7.00 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate -2.13 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 7.94 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.86 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -5.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 2.81 million (2022)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 2.80 million (2022)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 420,985 (2024)
All data for ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426) was 17.03 million in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426)?
- The highest recorded value was 17.94 million in 1996.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426)?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.14 million in 2017.
- How does ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426) ranks 150th out of 203 groups with data for 2023.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this ESCAP: Other Area (oth_region) (unsdcode:98426) 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.
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CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release