Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia
SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 42.22 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
42.22 million
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
95th
of 203 groups
All-time high
44.73 million
in 2007
All-time low
39.20 million
in 2013
Years of data
35
1990–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia, 1990–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia is 42.22 million, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia peaked at 44.73 million in 2007 and was at its lowest, 39.20 million, in 2013.
That places SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia 95th 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 35 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 44.15 million | — |
| 1991 | 44.01 million | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 44.02 million | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 44.60 million | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 44.70 million | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 44.72 million | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 44.57 million | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 44.35 million | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 44.13 million | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 43.94 million | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 43.86 million | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 43.70 million | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 43.55 million | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 42.24 million | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 42.09 million | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 42.07 million | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 44.65 million | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 44.73 million | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 44.48 million | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 43.29 million | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 42.65 million | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 40.59 million | -4.9% |
| 2012 | 40.14 million | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 39.20 million | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 39.78 million | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 39.30 million | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 41.22 million | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 40.82 million | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 40.99 million | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 41.16 million | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 41.45 million | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 41.61 million | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 41.80 million | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 42.09 million | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 42.22 million | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 44.32 million | 43.94 million | 44.72 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.47 million | 42.07 million | 44.73 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.58 million | 39.20 million | 42.65 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.83 million | 41.45 million | 42.22 million | 5 |
More education data for SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 26.40 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 9.09 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 28.29 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.58 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.371 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.38 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.2663 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.39 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia was 42.22 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 44.73 million in 2007.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.20 million in 2013.
- How does SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia ranks 95th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia 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