Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024

GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 243.05 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
243.05 million
Change on year
up 1.1%
Rank
16th
of 203 groups
All-time high
243.05 million
in 2024
All-time low
181.14 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1989–2024

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024, 1989–2024

050.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M250.0M1989200620241989: 183.9M1990: 181.1M1991: 183.5M1992: 185.9M1993: 188.8M1994: 190.7M1995: 193.2M1996: 195.2M1997: 196.6M1998: 196.8M1999: 198.9M2000: 205.0M2001: 206.4M2002: 209.1M2003: 210.4M2004: 212.4M2005: 216.2M2006: 225.7M2007: 227.7M2008: 229.7M2009: 232.7M2010: 231.4M2011: 230.6M2012: 235.5M2013: 234.8M2014: 232.2M2015: 229.7M2016: 228.8M2017: 230.3M2018: 228.7M2019: 231.4M2020: 233.9M2021: 235.9M2022: 237.8M2023: 240.3M2024: 243.0M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 is 243.05 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 peaked at 243.05 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 181.14 million, in 1990.

That places GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 16th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024, year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024, 1989 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1989 183.92 million
1990 181.14 million -1.5%
1991 183.54 million +1.3%
1992 185.89 million +1.3%
1993 188.76 million +1.5%
1994 190.70 million +1.0%
1995 193.18 million +1.3%
1996 195.22 million +1.1%
1997 196.58 million +0.7%
1998 196.81 million +0.1%
1999 198.87 million +1.0%
2000 204.96 million +3.1%
2001 206.37 million +0.7%
2002 209.10 million +1.3%
2003 210.38 million +0.6%
2004 212.42 million +1.0%
2005 216.16 million +1.8%
2006 225.67 million +4.4%
2007 227.67 million +0.9%
2008 229.72 million +0.9%
2009 232.72 million +1.3%
2010 231.38 million -0.6%
2011 230.62 million -0.3%
2012 235.46 million +2.1%
2013 234.79 million -0.3%
2014 232.17 million -1.1%
2015 229.67 million -1.1%
2016 228.78 million -0.4%
2017 230.28 million +0.7%
2018 228.75 million -0.7%
2019 231.43 million +1.2%
2020 233.87 million +1.1%
2021 235.91 million +0.9%
2022 237.84 million +0.8%
2023 240.29 million +1.0%
2024 243.05 million +1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 183.92 million 183.92 million 183.92 million 1
1990s 191.07 million 181.14 million 198.87 million 10
2000s 217.52 million 204.96 million 232.72 million 10
2010s 231.33 million 228.75 million 235.46 million 10
2020s 238.19 million 233.87 million 243.05 million 5

Countries ranked near GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024

  1. 13 Guinea 2.70 million compare
  2. 14 Senegal 2.70 million compare
  3. 15 Mexico 2.66 million compare
  4. 16 Iraq 2.39 million compare
  5. 17 South Africa 2.24 million compare
  6. 18 Thailand 2.19 million compare
  7. 19 Viet Nam 1.92 million compare

See the full ranking of 262 places →

More education data for GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024

All data for GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 was 243.05 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024?
The highest recorded value was 243.05 million in 2024.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024?
The lowest recorded value was 181.14 million in 1990.
How does GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 ranks 16th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 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 GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-female-number-2/gpe-overall-fy24-all-90-countries-december-2024/

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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