Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in AIMS: East Asia

AIMS: East Asia: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 41.79 million in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
41.79 million
Change on year
down 3.5%
Rank
97th
of 203 groups
All-time high
172.85 million
in 1989
All-time low
41.79 million
in 2024
Years of data
36
1989–2024

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in AIMS: East Asia, 1989–2024

50.0M100.0M150.0M1989200620241989: 172.9M1990: 167.7M1991: 165.8M1992: 163.9M1993: 161.8M1994: 159.2M1995: 156.5M1996: 154.4M1997: 105.8M1998: 103.9M1999: 102.2M2000: 100.3M2001: 98.3M2002: 96.1M2003: 93.6M2004: 91.6M2005: 89.2M2006: 86.7M2007: 74.6M2008: 71.9M2009: 69.0M2010: 69.1M2011: 67.5M2012: 65.1M2013: 64.7M2014: 59.1M2015: 57.4M2016: 55.2M2017: 52.8M2018: 51.9M2019: 50.2M2020: 48.1M2021: 46.5M2022: 44.8M2023: 43.3M2024: 41.8M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2024, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in AIMS: East Asia stood at 41.79 million. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of down 3.5% on the previous year and down 29.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in AIMS: East Asia peaked at 172.85 million in 1989 and was at its lowest, 41.79 million, in 2024.

AIMS: East Asia ranks 97th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in AIMS: East Asia, year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) in AIMS: East Asia, 1989 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1989 172.85 million
1990 167.69 million -3.0%
1991 165.82 million -1.1%
1992 163.87 million -1.2%
1993 161.81 million -1.3%
1994 159.16 million -1.6%
1995 156.46 million -1.7%
1996 154.38 million -1.3%
1997 105.79 million -31.5%
1998 103.93 million -1.8%
1999 102.23 million -1.6%
2000 100.26 million -1.9%
2001 98.26 million -2.0%
2002 96.13 million -2.2%
2003 93.61 million -2.6%
2004 91.59 million -2.1%
2005 89.25 million -2.6%
2006 86.74 million -2.8%
2007 74.59 million -14.0%
2008 71.90 million -3.6%
2009 69.04 million -4.0%
2010 69.07 million +0.1%
2011 67.55 million -2.2%
2012 65.14 million -3.6%
2013 64.66 million -0.7%
2014 59.11 million -8.6%
2015 57.41 million -2.9%
2016 55.19 million -3.9%
2017 52.84 million -4.3%
2018 51.90 million -1.8%
2019 50.23 million -3.2%
2020 48.07 million -4.3%
2021 46.51 million -3.2%
2022 44.82 million -3.6%
2023 43.30 million -3.4%
2024 41.79 million -3.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 172.85 million 172.85 million 172.85 million 1
1990s 144.11 million 102.23 million 167.69 million 10
2000s 87.14 million 69.04 million 100.26 million 10
2010s 59.31 million 50.23 million 69.07 million 10
2020s 44.90 million 41.79 million 48.07 million 5

More education data for AIMS: East Asia

All data for AIMS: East Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in AIMS: East Asia?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in AIMS: East Asia was 41.79 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in AIMS: East Asia?
The highest recorded value was 172.85 million in 1989.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in AIMS: East Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 41.79 million in 2024.
How does AIMS: East Asia rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
AIMS: East Asia ranks 97th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in AIMS: East Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this AIMS: East Asia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in AIMS: East Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-female-number-2/aims-east-asia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-female-number-2/aims-east-asia/">Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in AIMS: East Asia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
262 places, 6,969 data points, 1989–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release