Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa
SDG: Northern Africa: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 28.56 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
28.56 million
Change on year
down 0.2%
Rank
111th
of 203 groups
All-time high
28.74 million
in 2007
All-time low
25.37 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1989–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa, 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa stood at 28.56 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa peaked at 28.74 million in 2007 and was at its lowest, 25.37 million, in 1990.
SDG: Northern Africa ranks 111th of 203 groups on this measure, 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 SDG: Northern Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 25.87 million | — |
| 1990 | 25.37 million | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 25.60 million | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 25.79 million | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 26.56 million | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 26.80 million | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 27.03 million | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 27.15 million | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 27.21 million | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 27.29 million | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 27.36 million | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 27.44 million | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 27.40 million | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 27.41 million | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 26.30 million | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 26.25 million | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 26.33 million | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 28.61 million | +8.7% |
| 2007 | 28.74 million | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 28.43 million | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 28.18 million | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 28.17 million | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 26.88 million | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 26.50 million | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 25.72 million | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 26.48 million | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 26.35 million | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 28.51 million | +8.2% |
| 2017 | 28.37 million | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 28.38 million | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 28.48 million | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 28.55 million | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 28.56 million | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 28.55 million | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 28.63 million | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 28.56 million | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 25.87 million | 25.87 million | 25.87 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 26.62 million | 25.37 million | 27.36 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.51 million | 26.25 million | 28.74 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.39 million | 25.72 million | 28.51 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.57 million | 28.55 million | 28.63 million | 5 |
More education data for SDG: Northern Africa
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 26.17 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 4.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 12.91 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 4.66 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.30 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 3.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 33.17 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 13.26 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in SDG: Northern Africa was 28.56 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in SDG: Northern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 28.74 million in 2007.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in SDG: Northern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.37 million in 1990.
- How does SDG: Northern Africa rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- SDG: Northern Africa ranks 111th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in SDG: Northern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this SDG: Northern Africa 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