Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)
ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 43.75 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501), 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) is 43.75 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) peaked at 43.75 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 38.55 million, in 1990.
That places ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) 92nd out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 39.29 million | — |
| 1990 | 38.55 million | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 38.62 million | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 38.75 million | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 39.54 million | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 39.96 million | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 40.23 million | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 40.32 million | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 40.32 million | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 40.34 million | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 40.37 million | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 40.44 million | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 40.39 million | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 40.33 million | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 39.11 million | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 39.04 million | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 39.34 million | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 41.77 million | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 41.99 million | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 41.85 million | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 41.84 million | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 41.94 million | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 40.48 million | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 40.17 million | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 39.40 million | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 40.10 million | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 39.77 million | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 41.86 million | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 41.62 million | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 41.89 million | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 42.27 million | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 42.63 million | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 42.88 million | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 43.13 million | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 43.50 million | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 43.75 million | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.29 million | 39.29 million | 39.29 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 39.70 million | 38.55 million | 40.37 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.61 million | 39.04 million | 41.99 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.95 million | 39.40 million | 42.27 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.18 million | 42.63 million | 43.75 million | 5 |
More education data for ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.74 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 21.05 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.33 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.6536 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 14.56 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 7.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 7.14 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) was 43.75 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- The highest recorded value was 43.75 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.55 million in 1990.
- How does ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) ranks 92nd out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) 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