Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Middle income
Middle income: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 587.08 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling
Latest (2019)
587.08 million number
Change on year
down 0.9%
Rank
4th
of 39 groups
All-time high
786.52 million number
in 1987
All-time low
586.51 million number
in 2017
Years of data
45
1975–2019
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Middle income, 1975–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Middle income is 587.08 million number, measured in 2019.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Middle income peaked at 786.52 million number in 1987 and was at its lowest, 586.51 million number, in 2017.
That places Middle income 4th out of 39 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Middle income, year by year
| Year | number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 707.12 million number | — |
| 1976 | 722.92 million number | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 736.16 million number | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 742.30 million number | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 749.02 million number | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 760.21 million number | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 764.88 million number | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 769.60 million number | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 773.30 million number | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 776.83 million number | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 781.87 million number | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 786.26 million number | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 786.52 million number | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 751.12 million number | -4.5% |
| 1989 | 754.22 million number | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 764.02 million number | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 759.27 million number | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 756.38 million number | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 756.20 million number | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 756.09 million number | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 755.24 million number | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 755.56 million number | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 689.88 million number | -8.7% |
| 1998 | 654.84 million number | -5.1% |
| 1999 | 654.83 million number | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 662.33 million number | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 662.57 million number | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 661.11 million number | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 652.01 million number | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 649.67 million number | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 661.77 million number | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 652.35 million number | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 656.00 million number | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 643.85 million number | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 638.65 million number | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 626.86 million number | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 628.84 million number | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 616.72 million number | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 617.57 million number | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 605.20 million number | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 604.88 million number | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 589.89 million number | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 586.51 million number | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 592.60 million number | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 587.08 million number | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 731.50 million number | 707.12 million number | 749.02 million number | 5 |
| 1980s | 770.48 million number | 751.12 million number | 786.52 million number | 10 |
| 1990s | 730.23 million number | 654.83 million number | 764.02 million number | 10 |
| 2000s | 654.03 million number | 638.65 million number | 662.57 million number | 10 |
| 2010s | 605.61 million number | 586.51 million number | 628.84 million number | 10 |
Countries ranked near Middle income
More education data for Middle income
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 25.11 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 510.99 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 589.09 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0986 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 66.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Middle income?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Middle income was 587.08 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 786.52 million number in 1987.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 586.51 million number in 2017.
- How does Middle income rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- Middle income ranks 4th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle 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 — 45 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.