Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)

Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 2.40 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
2.40 million number
Change on year
down 3.3%
Rank
34th
of 39 groups
All-time high
11.61 million number
in 1983
All-time low
2.40 million number
in 2019
Years of data
37
1983–2019

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 1983–2019

2.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M12.0M1983200120191983: 11.6M number1984: 10.5M number1985: 10.2M number1986: 10.1M number1987: 9.9M number1988: 9.7M number1989: 9.7M number1990: 9.5M number1991: 9.4M number1992: 9.2M number1993: 9.0M number1994: 8.8M number1995: 8.6M number1996: 8.2M number1997: 8.0M number1998: 7.3M number1999: 7.1M number2000: 7.1M number2001: 7.0M number2002: 6.9M number2003: 6.8M number2004: 6.5M number2005: 6.1M number2006: 6.2M number2007: 6.0M number2008: 6.0M number2009: 4.7M number2010: 4.0M number2011: 3.4M number2012: 3.1M number2013: 2.9M number2014: 2.9M number2015: 2.8M number2016: 2.5M number2017: 2.6M number2018: 2.5M number2019: 2.4M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) is 2.40 million number, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 37 years on record.

The figure is down 3.3% on the previous year and down 48.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) peaked at 11.61 million number in 1983 and was at its lowest, 2.40 million number, in 2019.

That places Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 34th out of 39 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 1983 to 2019.
Year number Change
1983 11.61 million number
1984 10.46 million number -10.0%
1985 10.24 million number -2.0%
1986 10.13 million number -1.1%
1987 9.94 million number -1.8%
1988 9.73 million number -2.1%
1989 9.69 million number -0.4%
1990 9.49 million number -2.1%
1991 9.36 million number -1.3%
1992 9.17 million number -2.0%
1993 8.98 million number -2.1%
1994 8.78 million number -2.2%
1995 8.57 million number -2.4%
1996 8.22 million number -4.1%
1997 8.02 million number -2.5%
1998 7.26 million number -9.5%
1999 7.10 million number -2.2%
2000 7.15 million number +0.7%
2001 7.04 million number -1.6%
2002 6.90 million number -1.9%
2003 6.79 million number -1.6%
2004 6.49 million number -4.4%
2005 6.12 million number -5.6%
2006 6.25 million number +2.0%
2007 6.04 million number -3.3%
2008 6.00 million number -0.7%
2009 4.68 million number -21.9%
2010 3.98 million number -15.1%
2011 3.37 million number -15.2%
2012 3.05 million number -9.5%
2013 2.94 million number -3.7%
2014 2.87 million number -2.2%
2015 2.81 million number -2.1%
2016 2.52 million number -10.6%
2017 2.60 million number +3.2%
2018 2.49 million number -4.2%
2019 2.40 million number -3.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 10.26 million number 9.69 million number 11.61 million number 7
1990s 8.49 million number 7.10 million number 9.49 million number 10
2000s 6.34 million number 4.68 million number 7.15 million number 10
2010s 2.90 million number 2.40 million number 3.98 million number 10

Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)

  1. 31 Türkiye 2.03 million number compare
  2. 32 Cambodia 1.38 million number compare
  3. 33 Guatemala 1.23 million number compare
  4. 34 Tunisia 1.20 million number compare
  5. 35 Burundi 1.17 million number compare
  6. 36 Rwanda 1.16 million number compare
  7. 37 Togo 1.05 million number compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More education data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)

All data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) was 2.40 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
The highest recorded value was 11.61 million number in 1983.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
The lowest recorded value was 2.40 million number in 2019.
How does Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 34th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
Over the last ten years it is down 48.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this 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 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/europe-and-central-asia-excluding-high-income/

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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.