Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries
UNICEF: All Unicef Countries: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 453.34 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
453.34 million
Change on year
down 0.3%
Rank
7th
of 203 groups
All-time high
583.52 million
in 1991
All-time low
453.34 million
in 2024
Years of data
34
1991–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, 1991–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries stood at 453.34 million. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries peaked at 583.52 million in 1991 and was at its lowest, 453.34 million, in 2024.
That places UNICEF: All Unicef Countries 7th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 583.52 million | — |
| 1992 | 579.86 million | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 576.57 million | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 572.07 million | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 567.84 million | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 563.66 million | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 513.17 million | -9.0% |
| 1998 | 494.43 million | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 490.73 million | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 491.14 million | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 493.58 million | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 494.38 million | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 492.57 million | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 492.44 million | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 503.82 million | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 511.18 million | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 499.96 million | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 497.43 million | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 495.04 million | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 480.49 million | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 478.92 million | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 479.81 million | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 477.76 million | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 472.30 million | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 467.03 million | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 462.09 million | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 461.31 million | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 456.20 million | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 459.82 million | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 458.98 million | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 458.43 million | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 455.79 million | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 454.50 million | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 453.34 million | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 549.09 million | 490.73 million | 583.52 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 497.15 million | 491.14 million | 511.18 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 469.57 million | 456.20 million | 480.49 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 456.21 million | 453.34 million | 458.98 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: All Unicef Countries
- 4 Egypt 11.63 million compare
- 5 Iran, Islamic Republic of 6.00 million compare
- 6 Morocco 5.67 million compare
- 7 Brazil 5.55 million compare
- 8 Indonesia 5.53 million compare
- 9 Mozambique 4.53 million compare
- 10 Burkina Faso 4.40 million compare
More education data for UNICEF: All Unicef Countries
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 569.51 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.8422 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 274.67 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 29.12 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.6486 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 345.07 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 294.84 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries was 453.34 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- The highest recorded value was 583.52 million in 1991.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 453.34 million in 2024.
- How does UNICEF: All Unicef Countries rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- UNICEF: All Unicef Countries ranks 7th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this UNICEF: All Unicef Countries 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 — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release