Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)
WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 714.90 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
714.90 million
Change on year
down 0.2%
Rank
9th
of 203 groups
All-time high
907.74 million
in 1991
All-time low
713.39 million
in 2018
Years of data
34
1991–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025), 1991–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) is 714.90 million, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) peaked at 907.74 million in 1991 and was at its lowest, 713.39 million, in 2018.
That places WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) 9th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 907.74 million | — |
| 1992 | 900.06 million | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 892.54 million | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 885.34 million | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 878.49 million | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 872.05 million | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 801.16 million | -8.1% |
| 1998 | 760.93 million | -5.0% |
| 1999 | 755.31 million | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 755.91 million | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 760.19 million | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 760.12 million | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 753.76 million | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 753.42 million | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 767.56 million | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 784.76 million | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 771.78 million | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 767.92 million | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 764.57 million | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 746.99 million | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 744.69 million | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 745.97 million | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 741.96 million | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 736.24 million | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 726.24 million | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 719.70 million | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 719.81 million | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 713.39 million | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 722.13 million | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 721.43 million | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 721.24 million | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 717.34 million | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 715.98 million | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 714.90 million | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 850.40 million | 755.31 million | 907.74 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 764.00 million | 753.42 million | 784.76 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 731.71 million | 713.39 million | 746.99 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 718.18 million | 714.90 million | 721.43 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)
- 6 Iran, Islamic Republic of 9.11 million compare
- 7 Morocco 8.66 million compare
- 8 Indonesia 8.11 million compare
- 9 Burkina Faso 8.02 million compare
- 10 Mali 6.71 million compare
- 11 Mozambique 6.68 million compare
- 12 Uganda 5.79 million compare
More education data for WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 701.53 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.6578 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.37 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 363.75 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 337.78 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 103.52 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.57 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 24.25 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) was 714.90 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)?
- The highest recorded value was 907.74 million in 1991.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)?
- The lowest recorded value was 713.39 million in 2018.
- How does WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) ranks 9th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) 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