Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in IDA blend
IDA blend: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 113.47 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising
Latest (2019)
113.47 million number
Change on year
up 1.3%
Rank
19th
of 39 groups
All-time high
113.47 million number
in 2019
All-time low
62.61 million number
in 1981
Years of data
39
1981–2019
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in IDA blend, 1981–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.
Analysis
In 2019, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in IDA blend stood at 113.47 million number. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in IDA blend peaked at 113.47 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 62.61 million number, in 1981.
IDA blend ranks 19th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in IDA blend, year by year
| Year | number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 62.61 million number | — |
| 1982 | 63.92 million number | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 65.47 million number | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 67.09 million number | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 68.74 million number | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 70.25 million number | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 71.34 million number | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 72.43 million number | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 73.75 million number | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 74.88 million number | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 75.40 million number | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 74.94 million number | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 74.22 million number | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 75.01 million number | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 75.84 million number | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 76.43 million number | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 77.11 million number | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 77.53 million number | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 78.54 million number | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 87.08 million number | +10.9% |
| 2001 | 87.61 million number | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 88.56 million number | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 89.44 million number | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 89.37 million number | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 93.08 million number | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 81.79 million number | -12.1% |
| 2007 | 100.87 million number | +23.3% |
| 2008 | 100.97 million number | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 100.88 million number | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 102.42 million number | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 104.80 million number | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 103.58 million number | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 106.75 million number | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 107.00 million number | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 108.53 million number | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 109.08 million number | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 109.16 million number | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 111.98 million number | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 113.47 million number | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 68.40 million number | 62.61 million number | 73.75 million number | 9 |
| 1990s | 75.99 million number | 74.22 million number | 78.54 million number | 10 |
| 2000s | 91.97 million number | 81.79 million number | 100.97 million number | 10 |
| 2010s | 107.68 million number | 102.42 million number | 113.47 million number | 10 |
Countries ranked near IDA blend
- 16 Tanzania, United Republic of 6.24 million number compare
- 17 Mozambique 6.18 million number compare
- 18 Chad 5.90 million number compare
- 19 Algeria 5.48 million number compare
- 20 Uganda 5.32 million number compare
- 21 South Africa 5.23 million number compare
- 22 Mexico 4.27 million number compare
More education data for IDA blend
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1273 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 37.9% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 86.20 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.26 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 58.4% (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 51.87 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in IDA blend?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in IDA blend was 113.47 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in IDA blend?
- The highest recorded value was 113.47 million number in 2019.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in IDA blend?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.61 million number in 1981.
- How does IDA blend rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- IDA blend ranks 19th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in IDA blend?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this IDA blend 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 — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.