Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in MDG: World
MDG: World: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 466.26 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
466.26 million
Change on year
down 0.3%
Rank
3rd
of 203 groups
All-time high
605.32 million
in 1993
All-time low
466.26 million
in 2024
Years of data
32
1993–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in MDG: World, 1993–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in MDG: World is 466.26 million, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 32 years on record.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in MDG: World peaked at 605.32 million in 1993 and was at its lowest, 466.26 million, in 2024.
That places MDG: World 3rd out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in MDG: World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 605.32 million | — |
| 1994 | 599.97 million | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 594.91 million | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 590.01 million | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 538.44 million | -8.7% |
| 1998 | 519.32 million | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 514.74 million | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 514.78 million | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 516.60 million | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 516.64 million | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 514.12 million | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 513.45 million | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 524.25 million | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 530.96 million | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 519.00 million | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 515.84 million | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 513.10 million | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 498.90 million | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 497.02 million | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 497.37 million | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 495.14 million | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 488.43 million | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 482.87 million | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 477.60 million | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 476.42 million | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 470.86 million | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 474.16 million | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 473.03 million | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 471.71 million | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 468.93 million | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 467.56 million | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 466.26 million | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 566.10 million | 514.74 million | 605.32 million | 7 |
| 2000s | 517.87 million | 513.10 million | 530.96 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 485.88 million | 470.86 million | 498.90 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 469.50 million | 466.26 million | 473.03 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near MDG: World
More education data for MDG: World
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 314.66 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 337.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.4213 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 206.57 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.3122 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 268.57 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 129.51 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.15 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in MDG: World?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in MDG: World was 466.26 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in MDG: World?
- The highest recorded value was 605.32 million in 1993.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in MDG: World?
- The lowest recorded value was 466.26 million in 2024.
- How does MDG: World rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- MDG: World ranks 3rd out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in MDG: World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this MDG: World 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 — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release