Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434)
ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 33.79 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434), 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) is 33.79 million, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 18.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) peaked at 44.75 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 33.79 million, in 2024.
That places ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) 106th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 37.45 million | — |
| 1990 | 37.03 million | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 37.49 million | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 38.04 million | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 38.91 million | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 39.20 million | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 39.33 million | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 39.80 million | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 40.36 million | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 39.07 million | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 39.27 million | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 39.55 million | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 39.67 million | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 39.83 million | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 40.10 million | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 40.30 million | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 40.34 million | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 43.38 million | +7.5% |
| 2007 | 43.32 million | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 43.25 million | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 43.45 million | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 40.04 million | -7.8% |
| 2011 | 40.11 million | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 44.75 million | +11.6% |
| 2013 | 42.06 million | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 41.67 million | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 38.17 million | -8.4% |
| 2016 | 34.44 million | -9.8% |
| 2017 | 34.27 million | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 34.90 million | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 34.64 million | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 34.64 million | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 34.34 million | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 34.03 million | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 33.86 million | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 33.79 million | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37.45 million | 37.45 million | 37.45 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 38.85 million | 37.03 million | 40.36 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.32 million | 39.55 million | 43.45 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.51 million | 34.27 million | 44.75 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.13 million | 33.79 million | 34.64 million | 5 |
More education data for ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 95.6% (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 94.2% (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female 20.10 million (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational 4.4% (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male 20.66 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes 10.93 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes 1.65 million (2020)
- Enrolment in primary education, male 23.90 million (2021)
- School age population, upper secondary education, male 13.32 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, female 12.68 million (2024)
All data for ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) was 33.79 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434)?
- The highest recorded value was 44.75 million in 2012.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434)?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.79 million in 2024.
- How does ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) ranks 106th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this ESCAP: Countries With Special Needs (csn) (unsdcode:98434) 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