Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)
ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 62.02 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
62.02 million
Change on year
up 2.5%
Rank
77th
of 203 groups
All-time high
62.02 million
in 2024
All-time low
34.36 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1989–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105), 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) stood at 62.02 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) peaked at 62.02 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 34.36 million, in 1990.
ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) ranks 77th 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: West Africa (unsdcode:98105), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 34.81 million | — |
| 1990 | 34.36 million | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 34.80 million | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 35.28 million | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 35.79 million | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 36.28 million | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 37.08 million | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 37.52 million | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 37.94 million | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 38.36 million | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 38.84 million | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 43.67 million | +12.4% |
| 2001 | 44.04 million | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 44.66 million | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 45.30 million | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 45.69 million | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 46.49 million | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 47.04 million | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 49.54 million | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 50.44 million | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 52.01 million | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 52.60 million | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 52.90 million | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 53.59 million | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 54.19 million | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 54.73 million | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 55.20 million | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 55.99 million | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 56.48 million | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 53.35 million | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 55.02 million | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 56.44 million | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 57.75 million | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 59.07 million | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 60.49 million | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 62.02 million | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 34.81 million | 34.81 million | 34.81 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 36.62 million | 34.36 million | 38.84 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.89 million | 43.67 million | 52.01 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.41 million | 52.60 million | 56.48 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.16 million | 56.44 million | 62.02 million | 5 |
More education data for ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 15.86 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.82 million (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.59 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 15.44 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.901 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.60 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 3.80 million (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.8591 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.7446 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.5935 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) was 62.02 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)?
- The highest recorded value was 62.02 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.36 million in 1990.
- How does ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) ranks 77th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) 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).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release