Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Arab World
Arab World: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 47.09 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising
Latest (2019)
47.09 million number
Change on year
up 1.1%
Rank
21st
of 38 groups
All-time high
47.09 million number
in 2019
All-time low
28.89 million number
in 1977
Years of data
43
1977–2019
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Arab World, 1977–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.
Analysis
Arab World recorded 47.09 million number for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in 2019. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Arab World peaked at 47.09 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 28.89 million number, in 1977.
Arab World ranks 21st of 38 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Arab World, year by year
| Year | number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 28.89 million number | — |
| 1978 | 29.63 million number | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 30.37 million number | +2.5% |
| 1980 | 31.11 million number | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 31.82 million number | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 32.48 million number | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 33.33 million number | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 33.92 million number | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 34.57 million number | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 35.08 million number | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 35.65 million number | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 36.11 million number | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 36.58 million number | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 37.02 million number | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 37.41 million number | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 37.81 million number | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 38.83 million number | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 39.27 million number | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 39.73 million number | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 39.61 million number | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 40.14 million number | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 40.25 million number | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 40.39 million number | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 40.32 million number | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 40.55 million number | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 40.44 million number | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 39.42 million number | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 39.30 million number | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 40.53 million number | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 41.82 million number | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 42.58 million number | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 42.34 million number | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 45.12 million number | +6.6% |
| 2010 | 44.89 million number | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 43.51 million number | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 40.27 million number | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 42.30 million number | +5.0% |
| 2014 | 40.18 million number | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 43.86 million number | +9.2% |
| 2016 | 42.41 million number | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 41.54 million number | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 46.60 million number | +12.2% |
| 2019 | 47.09 million number | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 29.63 million number | 28.89 million number | 30.37 million number | 3 |
| 1980s | 34.07 million number | 31.11 million number | 36.58 million number | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.04 million number | 37.02 million number | 40.39 million number | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.24 million number | 39.30 million number | 45.12 million number | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.26 million number | 40.18 million number | 47.09 million number | 10 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
More education data for Arab World
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1129 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 32.0% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.58 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.7891 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 55.62 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 91.6% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0052 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Arab World?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Arab World was 47.09 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 47.09 million number in 2019.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.89 million number in 1977.
- How does Arab World rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- Arab World ranks 21st out of 38 groups with data for 2019.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Arab World 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
Total number of females over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.