Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia
WB: Europe & Central Asia: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 6.03 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
WB: Europe & Central Asia recorded 6.03 million for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 31.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia peaked at 16.71 million in 1999 and was at its lowest, 6.03 million, in 2024.
That places WB: Europe & Central Asia 160th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 16.71 million | — |
| 2000 | 16.41 million | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 15.87 million | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 15.31 million | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 14.95 million | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 14.60 million | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 14.18 million | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 13.98 million | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 13.62 million | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 13.04 million | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 11.48 million | -12.0% |
| 2010 | 10.56 million | -7.9% |
| 2011 | 9.80 million | -7.3% |
| 2012 | 9.28 million | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 9.00 million | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 8.79 million | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 8.55 million | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 8.25 million | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 7.86 million | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 7.42 million | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 7.10 million | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 6.94 million | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 6.27 million | -9.6% |
| 2022 | 6.21 million | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 6.12 million | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 6.03 million | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.71 million | 16.71 million | 16.71 million | 1 |
| 2000s | 14.34 million | 11.48 million | 16.41 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.66 million | 7.10 million | 10.56 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.31 million | 6.03 million | 6.94 million | 5 |
More education data for WB: Europe & Central Asia
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 25.45 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3.52 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.2954 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 83.79 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.058 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 26.90 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -0.0467 % change on previous year (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 492,126 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 14.94 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 13.77 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Europe & Central Asia was 6.03 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?
- The highest recorded value was 16.71 million in 1999.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in WB: Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.03 million in 2024.
- How does WB: Europe & Central Asia rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- WB: Europe & Central Asia ranks 160th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in WB: Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this WB: Europe & Central Asia 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 — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release