Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)

Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 2.83 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
2.83 million number
Change on year
down 3.0%
Rank
33rd
of 39 groups
All-time high
12.49 million number
in 1983
All-time low
2.83 million number
in 2019
Years of data
37
1983–2019

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), 1983–2019

2.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M12.0M1983200120191983: 12.5M number1984: 11.3M number1985: 11.1M number1986: 11.0M number1987: 10.8M number1988: 10.7M number1989: 10.6M number1990: 10.4M number1991: 10.2M number1992: 10.0M number1993: 9.8M number1994: 9.6M number1995: 9.3M number1996: 9.0M number1997: 8.7M number1998: 8.0M number1999: 7.8M number2000: 7.9M number2001: 7.7M number2002: 7.6M number2003: 7.5M number2004: 7.2M number2005: 6.8M number2006: 6.9M number2007: 6.7M number2008: 6.6M number2009: 5.2M number2010: 4.5M number2011: 3.9M number2012: 3.5M number2013: 3.4M number2014: 3.3M number2015: 3.3M number2016: 3.0M number2017: 3.0M number2018: 2.9M number2019: 2.8M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 2.83 million number. That is the lowest value across all 37 years on record.

That represents a change of down 3.0% on the previous year and down 45.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 12.49 million number in 1983 and was at its lowest, 2.83 million number, in 2019.

That places Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 33rd 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 (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), 1983 to 2019.
Year number Change
1983 12.49 million number
1984 11.33 million number -9.3%
1985 11.11 million number -1.9%
1986 10.99 million number -1.0%
1987 10.80 million number -1.8%
1988 10.66 million number -1.3%
1989 10.59 million number -0.7%
1990 10.36 million number -2.2%
1991 10.21 million number -1.4%
1992 10.00 million number -2.1%
1993 9.79 million number -2.1%
1994 9.57 million number -2.2%
1995 9.33 million number -2.4%
1996 8.97 million number -3.9%
1997 8.74 million number -2.5%
1998 7.96 million number -9.0%
1999 7.83 million number -1.5%
2000 7.87 million number +0.4%
2001 7.74 million number -1.6%
2002 7.59 million number -2.0%
2003 7.47 million number -1.6%
2004 7.16 million number -4.2%
2005 6.78 million number -5.3%
2006 6.89 million number +1.7%
2007 6.68 million number -3.2%
2008 6.61 million number -1.0%
2009 5.18 million number -21.6%
2010 4.47 million number -13.8%
2011 3.85 million number -13.7%
2012 3.52 million number -8.5%
2013 3.40 million number -3.4%
2014 3.33 million number -2.1%
2015 3.27 million number -2.0%
2016 2.96 million number -9.3%
2017 3.03 million number +2.5%
2018 2.92 million number -3.9%
2019 2.83 million number -3.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 11.14 million number 10.59 million number 12.49 million number 7
1990s 9.28 million number 7.83 million number 10.36 million number 10
2000s 7.00 million number 5.18 million number 7.87 million number 10
2010s 3.36 million number 2.83 million number 4.47 million number 10

Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)

  1. 30 Cameroon 2.07 million number compare
  2. 31 Türkiye 2.03 million number compare
  3. 32 Cambodia 1.38 million number compare
  4. 33 Guatemala 1.23 million number compare
  5. 34 Tunisia 1.20 million number compare
  6. 35 Burundi 1.17 million number compare
  7. 36 Rwanda 1.16 million number compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More education data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)

All data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) was 2.83 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 (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The highest recorded value was 12.49 million number in 1983.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The lowest recorded value was 2.83 million number in 2019.
How does Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 33rd out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Over the last ten years it is down 45.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 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 (IDA & IBRD countries). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-female-number/europe-and-central-asia-ida-and-ibrd-countries/

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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.