Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024

GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 19.84 million in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
19.84 million
Change on year
down 1.8%
Rank
147th
of 203 groups
All-time high
38.85 million
in 1989
All-time low
19.84 million
in 2024
Years of data
36
1989–2024

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024, 1989–2024

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M1989200620241989: 38.9M1990: 37.7M1991: 37.5M1992: 37.3M1993: 37.3M1994: 36.2M1995: 35.1M1996: 34.8M1997: 34.6M1998: 34.4M1999: 34.7M2000: 33.9M2001: 33.7M2002: 33.3M2003: 32.9M2004: 32.4M2005: 31.9M2006: 30.9M2007: 28.6M2008: 27.4M2009: 27.4M2010: 29.6M2011: 29.1M2012: 28.4M2013: 28.5M2014: 24.7M2015: 23.3M2016: 22.5M2017: 22.1M2018: 23.8M2019: 23.4M2020: 21.6M2021: 21.2M2022: 20.6M2023: 20.2M2024: 19.8M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024 recorded 19.84 million for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 19.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024 peaked at 38.85 million in 1989 and was at its lowest, 19.84 million, in 2024.

GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024 ranks 147th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024, year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number) in GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024, 1989 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1989 38.85 million
1990 37.71 million -2.9%
1991 37.51 million -0.5%
1992 37.28 million -0.6%
1993 37.30 million +0.0%
1994 36.20 million -3.0%
1995 35.07 million -3.1%
1996 34.81 million -0.7%
1997 34.57 million -0.7%
1998 34.35 million -0.6%
1999 34.65 million +0.9%
2000 33.95 million -2.0%
2001 33.67 million -0.8%
2002 33.27 million -1.2%
2003 32.88 million -1.2%
2004 32.37 million -1.5%
2005 31.89 million -1.5%
2006 30.91 million -3.1%
2007 28.64 million -7.3%
2008 27.35 million -4.5%
2009 27.35 million +0.0%
2010 29.62 million +8.3%
2011 29.12 million -1.7%
2012 28.40 million -2.5%
2013 28.52 million +0.4%
2014 24.68 million -13.5%
2015 23.30 million -5.6%
2016 22.54 million -3.3%
2017 22.08 million -2.0%
2018 23.84 million +7.9%
2019 23.39 million -1.9%
2020 21.62 million -7.6%
2021 21.17 million -2.1%
2022 20.59 million -2.7%
2023 20.21 million -1.9%
2024 19.84 million -1.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 38.85 million 38.85 million 38.85 million 1
1990s 35.95 million 34.35 million 37.71 million 10
2000s 31.23 million 27.35 million 33.95 million 10
2010s 25.55 million 22.08 million 29.62 million 10
2020s 20.69 million 19.84 million 21.62 million 5

More education data for GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024

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Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024 was 19.84 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024?
The highest recorded value was 38.85 million in 1989.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024?
The lowest recorded value was 19.84 million in 2024.
How does GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024 rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024 ranks 147th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024 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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Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in GPE: East Asia & Pacific Wb Fy24, December 2024. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-both-sexes-number-2/gpe-east-asia-and-pacific-wb-fy24-december-2024/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
262 places, 6,930 data points, 1989–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release