Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509)
ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 23.96 million in 2019. ▲ Rising
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509), 1989–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509) is 23.96 million, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 16.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509) peaked at 23.96 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 14.61 million, in 1990.
ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509) ranks 136th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 14.82 million | — |
| 1990 | 14.61 million | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 14.71 million | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 14.67 million | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 14.79 million | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 15.16 million | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 15.40 million | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 15.53 million | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 15.56 million | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 15.66 million | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 15.76 million | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 15.86 million | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 15.96 million | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 16.04 million | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 16.09 million | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 16.11 million | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 16.33 million | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 19.40 million | +18.8% |
| 2007 | 19.81 million | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 20.30 million | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 20.66 million | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 21.07 million | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 21.39 million | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 21.58 million | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 21.84 million | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 22.06 million | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 22.03 million | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 22.09 million | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 22.63 million | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 23.24 million | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 23.96 million | +3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.82 million | 14.82 million | 14.82 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 15.19 million | 14.61 million | 15.76 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.66 million | 15.86 million | 20.66 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.19 million | 21.07 million | 23.96 million | 10 |
More education data for ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 661,389 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 685,428 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 441,485 (2020)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 265,472 (2020)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 316,507 (2020)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 3.50 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.2475 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.35 million (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.4 % change on previous year (2020)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.70 million (2016)
All data for ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509) was 23.96 million in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509)?
- The highest recorded value was 23.96 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509)?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.61 million in 1990.
- How does ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509) ranks 136th out of 203 groups with data for 2019.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCWA: Arab Low-income Countries (lics) (unsdcode:98509) 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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About this data
February 2026 Data Release