Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in UNESCO: Sids
UNESCO: Sids: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 8.02 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
8.02 million
Change on year
up 1.4%
Rank
162nd
of 203 groups
All-time high
8.02 million
in 2023
All-time low
6.11 million
in 2000
Years of data
35
1989–2023
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in UNESCO: Sids, 1989–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in UNESCO: Sids stood at 8.02 million. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 12.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in UNESCO: Sids peaked at 8.02 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.11 million, in 2000.
UNESCO: Sids ranks 162nd of 203 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in UNESCO: Sids, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 6.46 million | — |
| 1990 | 6.36 million | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 6.36 million | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6.33 million | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 6.32 million | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 6.31 million | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 6.29 million | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 6.25 million | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 6.21 million | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 6.21 million | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 6.20 million | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 6.11 million | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 6.13 million | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 6.14 million | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 6.15 million | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6.14 million | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 6.12 million | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 6.88 million | +12.5% |
| 2007 | 6.86 million | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 6.87 million | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 6.99 million | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 7.10 million | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 7.08 million | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 7.14 million | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 7.16 million | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 7.16 million | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 7.20 million | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 7.14 million | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 7.25 million | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 7.37 million | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 7.48 million | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 7.61 million | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 7.70 million | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 7.91 million | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 8.02 million | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.46 million | 6.46 million | 6.46 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 6.28 million | 6.20 million | 6.36 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.44 million | 6.11 million | 6.99 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.21 million | 7.08 million | 7.48 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.81 million | 7.61 million | 8.02 million | 4 |
More education data for UNESCO: Sids
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 131,313 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.15 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.0307 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) -3.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 569,310 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -3.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 850,086 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.22 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.0239 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.42 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in UNESCO: Sids?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in UNESCO: Sids was 8.02 million in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in UNESCO: Sids?
- The highest recorded value was 8.02 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in UNESCO: Sids?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.11 million in 2000.
- How does UNESCO: Sids rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- UNESCO: Sids ranks 162nd out of 203 groups with data for 2023.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in UNESCO: Sids?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNESCO: Sids 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 — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release