Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Western Asia
SDG: Western Asia: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 19.02 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
19.02 million
Change on year
up 1.5%
Rank
148th
of 203 groups
All-time high
25.29 million
in 1997
All-time low
17.40 million
in 2017
Years of data
28
1997–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Western Asia, 1997–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Western Asia stood at 19.02 million.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Western Asia peaked at 25.29 million in 1997 and was at its lowest, 17.40 million, in 2017.
That places SDG: Western Asia 148th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 SDG: Western Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 25.29 million | — |
| 1998 | 24.70 million | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 24.26 million | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 23.62 million | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 23.36 million | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 22.97 million | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 22.94 million | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 22.76 million | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 22.55 million | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 22.93 million | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 22.53 million | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 22.63 million | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 21.79 million | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 20.93 million | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 19.53 million | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 19.46 million | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 19.14 million | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 18.68 million | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 17.98 million | -3.8% |
| 2016 | 17.70 million | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 17.40 million | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 17.63 million | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 17.71 million | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 17.94 million | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 18.09 million | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 18.37 million | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 18.74 million | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 19.02 million | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.75 million | 24.26 million | 25.29 million | 3 |
| 2000s | 22.81 million | 21.79 million | 23.62 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.62 million | 17.40 million | 20.93 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.43 million | 17.94 million | 19.02 million | 5 |
More education data for SDG: Western Asia
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 28.52 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate -0.9495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 13.49 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7535 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.72 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.901 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -0.0164 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 28.49 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 13.43 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 15.03 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Western Asia?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Western Asia was 19.02 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in SDG: Western Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 25.29 million in 1997.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in SDG: Western Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.40 million in 2017.
- How does SDG: Western Asia rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- SDG: Western Asia ranks 148th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in SDG: Western Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this SDG: Western Asia 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