Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)

WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 1.60 million in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.60 million
Change on year
down 4.5%
Rank
179th
of 203 groups
All-time high
6.52 million
in 1999
All-time low
1.60 million
in 2024
Years of data
26
1999–2024

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income), 1999–2024

2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M6.0M7.0M1999201120241999: 6.5M2000: 6.4M2001: 6.2M2002: 6.1M2003: 6.0M2004: 6.0M2005: 5.7M2006: 5.9M2007: 5.8M2008: 5.7M2009: 4.4M2010: 3.7M2011: 3.1M2012: 2.7M2013: 2.7M2014: 2.6M2015: 2.5M2016: 2.3M2017: 2.2M2018: 2.1M2019: 1.9M2020: 1.9M2021: 1.8M2022: 1.8M2023: 1.7M2024: 1.6M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2024, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) stood at 1.60 million. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.

The figure is down 4.5% on the previous year and down 37.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) peaked at 6.52 million in 1999 and was at its lowest, 1.60 million, in 2024.

WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) ranks 179th of 203 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income), year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income), 1999 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1999 6.52 million
2000 6.36 million -2.4%
2001 6.25 million -1.8%
2002 6.14 million -1.7%
2003 6.03 million -1.7%
2004 5.95 million -1.4%
2005 5.74 million -3.6%
2006 5.93 million +3.4%
2007 5.77 million -2.8%
2008 5.66 million -1.9%
2009 4.38 million -22.6%
2010 3.66 million -16.3%
2011 3.08 million -15.8%
2012 2.74 million -11.2%
2013 2.65 million -3.3%
2014 2.56 million -3.3%
2015 2.46 million -4.1%
2016 2.31 million -6.1%
2017 2.17 million -6.2%
2018 2.08 million -3.8%
2019 1.90 million -8.9%
2020 1.86 million -1.8%
2021 1.80 million -3.3%
2022 1.75 million -2.7%
2023 1.67 million -4.7%
2024 1.60 million -4.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 6.52 million 6.52 million 6.52 million 1
2000s 5.82 million 4.38 million 6.36 million 10
2010s 2.56 million 1.90 million 3.66 million 10
2020s 1.74 million 1.60 million 1.86 million 5

More education data for WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)

All data for WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) was 1.60 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)?
The highest recorded value was 6.52 million in 1999.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)?
The lowest recorded value was 1.60 million in 2024.
How does WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) ranks 179th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income)?
Over the last ten years it is down 37.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income) 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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Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia (excluding High Income). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-female-number-2/wb-europe-and-central-asia-excluding-high-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
262 places, 6,969 data points, 1989–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release