Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 63.88 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
63.88 million
Change on year
up 1.5%
Rank
76th
of 203 groups
All-time high
63.88 million
in 2024
All-time low
39.41 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1989–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa is 63.88 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa peaked at 63.88 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 39.41 million, in 1990.
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa ranks 76th 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 UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 39.98 million | — |
| 1990 | 39.41 million | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 40.54 million | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 41.23 million | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 41.73 million | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 42.16 million | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 42.90 million | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 43.31 million | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 43.43 million | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 44.23 million | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 44.56 million | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 44.99 million | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 45.38 million | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 46.96 million | +3.5% |
| 2003 | 47.51 million | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 48.47 million | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 50.64 million | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 53.32 million | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 53.07 million | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 54.25 million | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 54.60 million | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 54.92 million | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 55.41 million | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 54.21 million | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 54.77 million | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 55.02 million | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 55.70 million | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 55.93 million | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 57.34 million | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 57.55 million | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 57.00 million | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 58.54 million | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 60.92 million | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 61.92 million | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 62.97 million | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 63.88 million | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.98 million | 39.98 million | 39.98 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 42.35 million | 39.41 million | 44.56 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.92 million | 44.99 million | 54.60 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.79 million | 54.21 million | 57.55 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.65 million | 58.54 million | 63.88 million | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 49.26 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.50 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.77 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 36.30 million (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 50.69 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 8.67 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 9.20 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa was 63.88 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 63.88 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.41 million in 1990.
- How does UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa ranks 76th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Eastern and Southern 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