Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) (illiterate) in ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200)
ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) (illiterate) was 8.38 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200), 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200) is 8.38 million, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200) peaked at 18.06 million in 2001 and was at its lowest, 8.38 million, in 2024.
That places ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200) 154th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) (illiterate) in ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 18.06 million | — |
| 2002 | 17.48 million | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 17.12 million | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 16.78 million | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 16.37 million | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 16.17 million | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 15.82 million | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 15.23 million | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 10.53 million | -30.9% |
| 2017 | 10.15 million | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 9.72 million | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 9.41 million | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 9.26 million | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 8.57 million | -7.4% |
| 2022 | 8.52 million | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 8.47 million | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 8.38 million | -1.1% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) (illiterate) in ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200) changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | -30.9% | 15.23 million | 10.53 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.63 million | 15.23 million | 18.06 million | 8 |
| 2010s | 9.95 million | 9.41 million | 10.53 million | 4 |
| 2020s | 8.64 million | 8.38 million | 9.26 million | 5 |
More education data for ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 2.06 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 54.74 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.299 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 58.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.2912 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 38.11 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 64.18 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 794,026 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.66 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200) was 8.38 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200)?
- The highest recorded value was 18.06 million in 2001.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200)?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.38 million in 2024.
- How does ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200) ranks 154th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200) 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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About this data
February 2026 Data Release