Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Mexico

Mexico: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 2.59 million number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
2.59 million number
Change on year
down 6.1%
World rank
23rd
of 87 countries
All-time high
3.97 million number
in 2002
All-time low
2.59 million number
in 2018
Years of data
19
1980–2018

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

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M1980199920181980: 3.8M number1990: 3.9M number2000: 3.8M number2002: 4.0M number2004: 3.8M number2005: 3.7M number2006: 3.9M number2007: 3.4M number2008: 3.4M number2009: 3.2M number2010: 3.4M number2011: 3.3M number2012: 3.0M number2013: 3.1M number2014: 2.9M number2015: 3.0M number2016: 2.8M number2017: 2.8M number2018: 2.6M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Mexico stood at 2.59 million number. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.

That represents a change of down 6.1% on the previous year and down 24.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Mexico peaked at 3.97 million number in 2002 and was at its lowest, 2.59 million number, in 2018.

That places Mexico 23rd out of 87 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number) in Mexico, 1980 to 2018.
Year number Change
1980 3.82 million number
1990 3.94 million number +3.2%
2000 3.81 million number -3.3%
2002 3.97 million number +4.1%
2004 3.81 million number -4.0%
2005 3.68 million number -3.5%
2006 3.90 million number +6.0%
2007 3.39 million number -13.1%
2008 3.42 million number +1.0%
2009 3.22 million number -5.8%
2010 3.40 million number +5.5%
2011 3.26 million number -4.1%
2012 2.96 million number -9.3%
2013 3.14 million number +5.9%
2014 2.88 million number -8.1%
2015 2.98 million number +3.5%
2016 2.81 million number -5.9%
2017 2.76 million number -1.7%
2018 2.59 million number -6.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.82 million number 3.82 million number 3.82 million number 1
1990s 3.94 million number 3.94 million number 3.94 million number 1
2000s 3.65 million number 3.22 million number 3.97 million number 8
2010s 2.98 million number 2.59 million number 3.40 million number 9

Countries ranked near Mexico

  1. 20 Chad 3.30 million number compare
  2. 21 South Africa 2.80 million number compare
  3. 22 Senegal 2.78 million number compare
  4. 24 Viet Nam 2.39 million number compare
  5. 25 Benin 2.31 million number compare
  6. 26 Iraq 2.31 million number compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More education data for Mexico

All data for Mexico →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Mexico?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in Mexico was 2.59 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Mexico?
The highest recorded value was 3.97 million number in 2002.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in Mexico?
The lowest recorded value was 2.59 million number in 2018.
How does Mexico rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
Mexico ranks 23rd out of 87 countries with data for 2018.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in Mexico?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Mexico 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 Mexico. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-female-number/mexico/

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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.