Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UIS: Arab States
UIS: Arab States: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 40.96 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
40.96 million
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
98th
of 203 groups
All-time high
40.96 million
in 2024
All-time low
36.90 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1989–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UIS: Arab States, 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UIS: Arab States stood at 40.96 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UIS: Arab States peaked at 40.96 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 36.90 million, in 1990.
That places UIS: Arab States 98th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 UIS: Arab States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 37.63 million | — |
| 1990 | 36.90 million | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 36.99 million | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 37.23 million | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 38.05 million | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 38.38 million | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 38.62 million | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 38.66 million | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 38.64 million | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 38.61 million | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 38.60 million | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 38.62 million | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 38.51 million | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 38.41 million | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 37.15 million | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 37.03 million | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 37.28 million | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 39.69 million | +6.4% |
| 2007 | 39.89 million | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 39.70 million | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 39.61 million | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 39.67 million | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 38.17 million | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 37.89 million | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 37.07 million | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 37.71 million | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 37.32 million | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 39.36 million | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 39.04 million | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 39.27 million | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 39.61 million | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 39.94 million | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 40.15 million | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 40.37 million | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 40.74 million | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 40.96 million | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37.63 million | 37.63 million | 37.63 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 38.07 million | 36.90 million | 38.66 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 38.59 million | 37.03 million | 39.89 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.51 million | 37.07 million | 39.67 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.43 million | 39.94 million | 40.96 million | 5 |
More education data for UIS: Arab States
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 20.94 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.66 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 3.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.57 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 28.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 26.38 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.07 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.7 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UIS: Arab States?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UIS: Arab States was 40.96 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in UIS: Arab States?
- The highest recorded value was 40.96 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in UIS: Arab States?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.90 million in 1990.
- How does UIS: Arab States rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- UIS: Arab States ranks 98th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in UIS: Arab States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UIS: Arab States 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 — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release