Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 14.51 million in 2022. ▼ Falling
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Bangladesh, 1991–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2022, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Bangladesh stood at 14.51 million. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.0% on the previous year and down 39.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Bangladesh peaked at 24.82 million in 2001 and was at its lowest, 14.51 million, in 2022.
That places Bangladesh 3rd out of 59 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 23.40 million | — |
| 2001 | 24.82 million | +6.1% |
| 2011 | 23.09 million | -7.0% |
| 2012 | 24.02 million | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 22.62 million | -5.8% |
| 2014 | 23.06 million | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 21.08 million | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 17.16 million | -18.6% |
| 2017 | 17.39 million | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 16.97 million | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 16.73 million | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 16.91 million | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 16.12 million | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 14.51 million | -10.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.40 million | 23.40 million | 23.40 million | 1 |
| 2000s | 24.82 million | 24.82 million | 24.82 million | 1 |
| 2010s | 20.23 million | 16.73 million | 24.02 million | 9 |
| 2020s | 15.85 million | 14.51 million | 16.91 million | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More education data for Bangladesh
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 571,690 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 387,056 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.77 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16.69 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0961 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Bangladesh?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Bangladesh was 14.51 million in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 24.82 million in 2001.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.51 million in 2022.
- How does Bangladesh rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- Bangladesh ranks 3rd out of 59 countries with data for 2022.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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.
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CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release