Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number) by country
Total number of adults over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.
Countries reporting
87
Highest
252.86 million number
India
Lowest
390 number
Tonga
Median
1.23 million number
Years covered
50
1970–2019
Data points
2,267
What the numbers show
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number) is currently reported for 87 countries. The highest value is 252.86 million number in India; the lowest is 390 number in Tonga.
The median across all reporting countries is 1.23 million number, and the mean is 7.22 million number.
Over the past decade 31 countries rose and 56 fell. The largest increase was in Maldives (up 145.8%), and the largest decrease in Sao Tome and Principe (down 69.9%).
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 252.86 million number | 2018 | down 12.3% | flat |
| 2 | Pakistan | 54.88 million number | 2017 | up 12.0% | rising |
| 3 | Nigeria | 41.76 million number | 2018 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 4 | China | 37.04 million number | 2018 | down 31.6% | volatile |
| 5 | Ethiopia | 30.15 million number | 2017 | up 13.4% | rising |
| 6 | Bangladesh | 30.00 million number | 2019 | down 40.5% | falling |
| 7 | Egypt | 18.52 million number | 2017 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 8 | Brazil | 11.17 million number | 2018 | down 21.3% | falling |
| 9 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 8.70 million number | 2016 | down 5.6% | falling |
| 10 | Indonesia | 8.53 million number | 2018 | down 34.2% | falling |
| 11 | Côte d'Ivoire | 7.69 million number | 2018 | up 7.0% | rising |
| 12 | Morocco | 6.88 million number | 2018 | down 31.3% | falling |
| 13 | Mali | 6.42 million number | 2018 | up 24.8% | rising |
| 14 | Burkina Faso | 6.39 million number | 2018 | up 17.2% | rising |
| 15 | Nepal | 6.28 million number | 2018 | down 10.4% | falling |
| 16 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 6.24 million number | 2015 | up 5.5% | rising |
| 17 | Mozambique | 6.18 million number | 2017 | up 1.2% | rising |
| 18 | Chad | 5.90 million number | 2016 | up 67.1% | rising |
| 19 | Algeria | 5.48 million number | 2018 | down 12.3% | falling |
| 20 | Uganda | 5.32 million number | 2018 | up 29.3% | rising |
| 21 | South Africa | 5.23 million number | 2017 | up 36.7% | falling |
| 22 | Mexico | 4.27 million number | 2018 | down 21.2% | falling |
| 23 | Senegal | 4.24 million number | 2017 | up 14.2% | rising |
| 24 | Madagascar | 3.93 million number | 2018 | down 4.2% | rising |
| 25 | Benin | 3.81 million number | 2018 | up 17.8% | rising |
| 26 | Viet Nam | 3.67 million number | 2018 | down 14.0% | falling |
| 27 | Thailand | 3.59 million number | 2018 | up 85.2% | flat |
| 28 | Malawi | 3.47 million number | 2015 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 29 | Iraq | 3.32 million number | 2017 | down 22.1% | rising |
| 30 | Cameroon | 3.32 million number | 2018 | up 8.7% | rising |
| 31 | Türkiye | 2.38 million number | 2017 | down 58.7% | falling |
| 32 | Cambodia | 2.07 million number | 2015 | down 3.0% | flat |
| 33 | Rwanda | 1.97 million number | 2018 | down 0.9% | rising |
| 34 | Colombia | 1.87 million number | 2018 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 35 | Guatemala | 1.87 million number | 2014 | down 12.6% | flat |
| 36 | Burundi | 1.85 million number | 2017 | down 19.3% | rising |
| 37 | Tunisia | 1.77 million number | 2014 | down 6.8% | falling |
| 38 | Central African Republic | 1.63 million number | 2018 | up 5.7% | rising |
| 39 | Togo | 1.52 million number | 2015 | up 7.6% | rising |
| 40 | Peru | 1.33 million number | 2018 | down 33.7% | falling |
| 41 | Sri Lanka | 1.33 million number | 2018 | down 4.9% | flat |
| 42 | Zambia | 1.27 million number | 2018 | down 50.4% | falling |
| 43 | Philippines | 1.26 million number | 2015 | down 67.2% | falling |
| 44 | Malaysia | 1.23 million number | 2018 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 45 | Saudi Arabia | 1.16 million number | 2017 | down 55.4% | falling |
| 46 | Ecuador | 850,572 number | 2017 | up 11.5% | falling |
| 47 | Honduras | 837,525 number | 2018 | up 8.0% | flat |
| 48 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 686,699 number | 2015 | down 27.0% | rising |
| 49 | Spain | 622,751 number | 2018 | down 33.1% | falling |
| 50 | Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 615,388 number | 2016 | down 32.5% | falling |
| 51 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 547,921 number | 2015 | down 0.9% | falling |
| 52 | Chile | 530,956 number | 2017 | up 81.3% | falling |
| 53 | El Salvador | 515,242 number | 2018 | down 21.9% | falling |
| 54 | Dominican Republic | 462,294 number | 2016 | down 38.0% | falling |
| 55 | Portugal | 342,869 number | 2018 | down 31.1% | falling |
| 56 | Argentina | 333,000 number | 2018 | up 9.7% | volatile |
| 57 | Paraguay | 293,076 number | 2018 | up 9.2% | falling |
| 58 | Greece | 186,626 number | 2018 | down 67.5% | falling |
| 59 | Oman | 161,173 number | 2018 | down 40.2% | falling |
| 60 | Qatar | 153,999 number | 2017 | up 51.5% | rising |
| 61 | Panama | 139,457 number | 2018 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 62 | Namibia | 130,873 number | 2018 | down 55.0% | falling |
| 63 | Kuwait | 129,702 number | 2018 | up 2.7% | falling |
| 64 | Singapore | 128,380 number | 2018 | down 27.2% | falling |
| 65 | Jordan | 116,173 number | 2018 | down 61.1% | falling |
| 66 | Mauritius | 90,364 number | 2018 | down 14.5% | falling |
| 67 | Palestine, State of | 82,717 number | 2018 | down 36.1% | falling |
| 68 | Eswatini | 81,429 number | 2018 | down 24.3% | falling |
| 69 | Albania | 44,114 number | 2018 | down 51.9% | rising |
| 70 | Uruguay | 35,459 number | 2018 | down 25.1% | falling |
| 71 | Bahrain | 31,811 number | 2018 | down 64.0% | falling |
| 72 | Kazakhstan | 28,584 number | 2018 | down 12.4% | volatile |
| 73 | Suriname | 23,562 number | 2018 | up 21.4% | falling |
| 74 | Vanuatu | 22,361 number | 2018 | down 15.6% | falling |
| 75 | Republic of Moldova | 21,965 number | 2014 | down 60.2% | volatile |
| 76 | Malta | 20,697 number | 2018 | down 18.9% | falling |
| 77 | Macao | 18,522 number | 2016 | down 32.3% | flat |
| 78 | Azerbaijan | 15,779 number | 2017 | down 40.8% | volatile |
| 79 | Brunei Darussalam | 9,199 number | 2018 | down 19.8% | falling |
| 80 | Maldives | 9,047 number | 2016 | up 145.8% | falling |
| 81 | Sao Tome and Principe | 8,713 number | 2018 | down 69.9% | falling |
| 82 | Montenegro | 5,920 number | 2018 | down 24.9% | volatile |
| 83 | Seychelles | 3,064 number | 2018 | down 28.2% | falling |
| 84 | Uzbekistan | 1,662 number | 2018 | up 51.2% | volatile |
| 85 | Grenada | 1,179 number | 2014 | up 12.7% | rising |
| 86 | Barbados | 927 number | 2014 | up 6.3% | falling |
| 87 | Tonga | 390 number | 2018 | down 36.8% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- World 772.64 million number
- IDA & IBRD total 740.20 million number
- Low & middle income 738.95 million number
- Middle income 587.08 million number
- Lower middle income 487.55 million number
- Early-demographic dividend 473.77 million number
- IBRD only 396.00 million number
- South Asia 357.35 million number
- South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 357.35 million number
- IDA total 344.25 million number
- IDA only 230.73 million number
- Least developed countries 221.02 million number
- Sub-Saharan Africa 220.62 million number
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 220.62 million number
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 220.53 million number
- Pre-demographic dividend 199.97 million number
- Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) 172.68 million number
- Low income 151.87 million number
- IDA blend 113.47 million number
- Upper middle income 99.53 million number
- East Asia & Pacific 79.89 million number
- Arab World 77.52 million number
- Late-demographic dividend 69.38 million number
- East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) 67.42 million number
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 67.42 million number
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 66.25 million number
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 63.56 million number
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 63.48 million number
- Latin America & Caribbean 27.97 million number
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 27.71 million number
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 27.08 million number
- Europe & Central Asia 12.22 million number
- Small states 3.83 million number
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 3.63 million number
- Other small states 3.21 million number
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 3.03 million number
- Central Europe and the Baltics 885,235 number
- Caribbean Small States 465,902 number
- Pacific island small states 139,832 number
About this data
Total number of adults over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.