Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 17.51 million number in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
17.51 million number
World rank
5th
of 87 countries
All-time high
17.51 million number
in 2017
All-time low
12.16 million number
in 1994
Years of data
5
1994–2017

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Ethiopia, 1994–2017

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M1994200520171994: 12.2M number2004: 15.5M number2005: 17.0M number2007: 15.7M number2017: 17.5M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2017, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Ethiopia stood at 17.51 million number. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.

The figure is up 11.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Ethiopia peaked at 17.51 million number in 2017 and was at its lowest, 12.16 million number, in 1994.

Ethiopia ranks 5th of 87 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Ethiopia, year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) in Ethiopia, 1994 to 2017.
Year number Change
1994 12.16 million number
2004 15.53 million number +27.8%
2005 16.99 million number +9.4%
2007 15.69 million number -7.7%
2017 17.51 million number +11.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 12.16 million number 12.16 million number 12.16 million number 1
2000s 16.07 million number 15.53 million number 16.99 million number 3
2010s 17.51 million number 17.51 million number 17.51 million number 1

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 2 Pakistan 35.03 million number compare
  2. 3 China 27.90 million number compare
  3. 4 Nigeria 25.86 million number compare
  4. 6 Bangladesh 16.51 million number compare
  5. 7 Egypt 11.01 million number compare
  6. 8 Indonesia 5.90 million number compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More education data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Ethiopia?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Ethiopia was 17.51 million number in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 17.51 million number in 2017.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 12.16 million number in 1994.
How does Ethiopia rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
Ethiopia ranks 5th out of 87 countries with data for 2017.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ethiopia 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 Ethiopia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-female-number/ethiopia/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
126 places, 2,268 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of females over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.