Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124)

ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 57.42 million in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
57.42 million
Change on year
up 2.5%
Rank
82nd
of 203 groups
All-time high
57.42 million
in 2023
All-time low
29.52 million
in 1990
Years of data
35
1989–2023

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124), 1989–2023

020.0M40.0M60.0M1989200620231989: 29.9M1990: 29.5M1991: 29.9M1992: 30.4M1993: 30.8M1994: 31.1M1995: 31.5M1996: 31.9M1997: 32.2M1998: 32.3M1999: 32.6M2000: 37.7M2001: 38.0M2002: 38.4M2003: 39.0M2004: 39.3M2005: 40.1M2006: 40.6M2007: 43.3M2008: 44.2M2009: 44.7M2010: 45.1M2011: 45.5M2012: 46.5M2013: 47.1M2014: 47.9M2015: 48.4M2016: 49.3M2017: 49.8M2018: 50.4M2019: 52.0M2020: 53.5M2021: 54.7M2022: 56.0M2023: 57.4M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124) recorded 57.42 million for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in 2023. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.5% on the previous year and up 22.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124) peaked at 57.42 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 29.52 million, in 1990.

That places ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124) 82nd out of 203 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124), year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) in ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124), 1989 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1989 29.93 million
1990 29.52 million -1.4%
1991 29.92 million +1.4%
1992 30.36 million +1.5%
1993 30.77 million +1.3%
1994 31.08 million +1.0%
1995 31.51 million +1.4%
1996 31.89 million +1.2%
1997 32.17 million +0.9%
1998 32.28 million +0.4%
1999 32.57 million +0.9%
2000 37.70 million +15.8%
2001 37.95 million +0.7%
2002 38.43 million +1.3%
2003 38.96 million +1.4%
2004 39.33 million +0.9%
2005 40.09 million +1.9%
2006 40.55 million +1.2%
2007 43.34 million +6.9%
2008 44.19 million +2.0%
2009 44.68 million +1.1%
2010 45.12 million +1.0%
2011 45.54 million +0.9%
2012 46.48 million +2.1%
2013 47.07 million +1.3%
2014 47.90 million +1.8%
2015 48.42 million +1.1%
2016 49.27 million +1.8%
2017 49.81 million +1.1%
2018 50.37 million +1.1%
2019 52.04 million +3.3%
2020 53.46 million +2.7%
2021 54.74 million +2.4%
2022 56.04 million +2.4%
2023 57.42 million +2.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 29.93 million 29.93 million 29.93 million 1
1990s 31.21 million 29.52 million 32.57 million 10
2000s 40.52 million 37.70 million 44.68 million 10
2010s 48.20 million 45.12 million 52.04 million 10
2020s 55.41 million 53.46 million 57.42 million 4

More education data for ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124)

All data for ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124) →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124)?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124) was 57.42 million in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124)?
The highest recorded value was 57.42 million in 2023.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124)?
The lowest recorded value was 29.52 million in 1990.
How does ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124) ranks 82nd out of 203 groups with data for 2023.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124)?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124) 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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Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: Sahel (unsdcode:98124). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-female-number-2/eca-sahel-unsdcode-98124/

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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