Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malaysia

Malaysia: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 756,355 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
756,355 number
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
43rd
of 87 countries
All-time high
1.62 million number
in 1980
All-time low
736,809 number
in 2017
Years of data
7
1980–2018

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malaysia, 1980–2018

0500.0k1.0M1.5M1980199920181980: 1.6M number1991: 1.3M number2000: 1.1M number2010: 909.4k number2016: 743.6k number2017: 736.8k number2018: 756.4k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malaysia is 756,355 number, measured in 2018.

The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and down 16.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malaysia peaked at 1.62 million number in 1980 and was at its lowest, 736,809 number, in 2017.

Malaysia ranks 43rd of 87 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) in Malaysia, 1980 to 2018.
Year number Change
1980 1.62 million number
1991 1.31 million number -18.7%
2000 1.11 million number -15.1%
2010 909,439 number -18.4%
2016 743,601 number -18.2%
2017 736,809 number -0.9%
2018 756,355 number +2.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.62 million number 1.62 million number 1.62 million number 1
1990s 1.31 million number 1.31 million number 1.31 million number 1
2000s 1.11 million number 1.11 million number 1.11 million number 1
2010s 786,551 number 736,809 number 909,439 number 4

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 40 Colombia 921,657 number compare
  2. 41 Zambia 828,427 number compare
  3. 42 Sri Lanka 781,235 number compare
  4. 44 Saudi Arabia 730,194 number compare
  5. 45 Philippines 610,055 number compare
  6. 46 Ecuador 479,366 number compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More education data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malaysia?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malaysia was 756,355 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 1.62 million number in 1980.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 736,809 number in 2017.
How does Malaysia rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
Malaysia ranks 43rd out of 87 countries with data for 2018.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia 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 — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malaysia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-female-number/malaysia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-female-number/malaysia/">Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Malaysia</a> — Statizoid

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.