Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505)
ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 23.49 million in 2018. ▲ Rising
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505), 1991–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505) is 23.49 million, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 23.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505) peaked at 23.49 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 13.16 million, in 1992.
That places ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505) 137th out of 203 groups with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 13.20 million | — |
| 1992 | 13.16 million | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 13.30 million | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 13.68 million | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 13.94 million | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 14.09 million | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 14.13 million | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 14.26 million | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 14.38 million | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 14.50 million | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 14.61 million | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 14.70 million | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 14.77 million | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 14.80 million | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 15.18 million | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 18.26 million | +20.3% |
| 2007 | 18.62 million | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 19.03 million | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 19.57 million | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 20.02 million | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 20.38 million | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 20.40 million | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 20.80 million | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 21.23 million | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 21.77 million | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 22.28 million | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 22.85 million | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 23.49 million | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.79 million | 13.16 million | 14.38 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 16.40 million | 14.50 million | 19.57 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.47 million | 20.02 million | 23.49 million | 9 |
More education data for ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 651,300 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 431,218 (2020)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 235,625 (2020)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.53 % change on previous year (2016)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 12.78 % change on previous year (2020)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.88 million (2020)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 11 % change on previous year (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.29 million (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.82 % change on previous year (2020)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.03 million (2016)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505) was 23.49 million in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505)?
- The highest recorded value was 23.49 million in 2018.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505)?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.16 million in 1992.
- How does ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505) ranks 137th out of 203 groups with data for 2018.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCWA: Arab Ldcs Subregion (unsdcode:98505) 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 — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release