Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)
WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 1.89 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income), 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) is 1.89 million, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 4.7% on the previous year and down 39.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) peaked at 8.37 million in 1999 and was at its lowest, 1.89 million, in 2024.
That places WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) 183rd out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 8.37 million | — |
| 2000 | 7.82 million | -6.6% |
| 2001 | 7.67 million | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 7.53 million | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 7.41 million | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 7.32 million | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 6.94 million | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 7.19 million | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 6.98 million | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 6.84 million | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 5.45 million | -20.3% |
| 2010 | 4.51 million | -17.3% |
| 2011 | 3.77 million | -16.4% |
| 2012 | 3.34 million | -11.4% |
| 2013 | 3.22 million | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 3.11 million | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 2.97 million | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 2.78 million | -6.5% |
| 2017 | 2.59 million | -6.8% |
| 2018 | 2.49 million | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 2.24 million | -9.7% |
| 2020 | 2.21 million | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 2.14 million | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 2.09 million | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 1.99 million | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 1.89 million | -4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.37 million | 8.37 million | 8.37 million | 1 |
| 2000s | 7.12 million | 5.45 million | 7.82 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.10 million | 2.24 million | 4.51 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.06 million | 1.89 million | 2.21 million | 5 |
More education data for WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 13.51 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.50 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.8629 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 14.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.9089 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 906,553 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.1924 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.8854 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 12.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) was 1.89 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)?
- The highest recorded value was 8.37 million in 1999.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.89 million in 2024.
- How does WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) ranks 183rd out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) 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 — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release