Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 745,376 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Sri Lanka, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 745,376 for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in 2024.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Sri Lanka peaked at 861,540 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 731,694, in 2016.
Sri Lanka ranks 28th of 59 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 785,337 | — |
| 2006 | 841,944 | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 861,540 | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 808,341 | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 731,694 | -9.5% |
| 2017 | 785,142 | +7.3% |
| 2018 | 809,688 | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 749,026 | -7.5% |
| 2020 | 755,950 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 760,790 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 756,887 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 745,915 | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 745,376 | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 829,607 | 785,337 | 861,540 | 3 |
| 2010s | 776,778 | 731,694 | 809,688 | 5 |
| 2020s | 752,984 | 745,376 | 760,790 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Sri Lanka?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Sri Lanka was 745,376 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 861,540 in 2008.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 731,694 in 2016.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- Sri Lanka ranks 28th out of 59 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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