Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)
ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 51.13 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
51.13 million
Change on year
up 1.9%
Rank
86th
of 203 groups
All-time high
51.13 million
in 2024
All-time low
30.74 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1989–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102), 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) stood at 51.13 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) peaked at 51.13 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 30.74 million, in 1990.
ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) ranks 86th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 31.10 million | — |
| 1990 | 30.74 million | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 31.28 million | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 31.80 million | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 32.33 million | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 32.84 million | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 33.83 million | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 34.21 million | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 34.15 million | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 34.89 million | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 35.41 million | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 35.93 million | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 36.45 million | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 38.39 million | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 38.96 million | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 40.11 million | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 42.23 million | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 44.89 million | +6.3% |
| 2007 | 44.17 million | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 45.14 million | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 46.08 million | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 46.77 million | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 44.83 million | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 43.76 million | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 44.31 million | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 44.60 million | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 45.23 million | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 45.50 million | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 45.42 million | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 46.06 million | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 46.98 million | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 47.86 million | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 48.60 million | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 49.37 million | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 50.20 million | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 51.13 million | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31.10 million | 31.10 million | 31.10 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 33.15 million | 30.74 million | 35.41 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.24 million | 35.93 million | 46.08 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.35 million | 43.76 million | 46.98 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 49.43 million | 47.86 million | 51.13 million | 5 |
More education data for ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.98 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12.59 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 3.43 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 14.95 million (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 3.58 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 12.51 million (2022)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.9236 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 41.20 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) was 51.13 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)?
- The highest recorded value was 51.13 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.74 million in 1990.
- How does ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) ranks 86th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) 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
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release