Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in World
World: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 484.99 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling
Latest (2019)
484.99 million number
Change on year
down 0.5%
Rank
1st
of 1 groups
All-time high
595.70 million number
in 1987
All-time low
483.61 million number
in 2017
Years of data
44
1976–2019
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in World, 1976–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.
Analysis
In 2019, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in World stood at 484.99 million number.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in World peaked at 595.70 million number in 1987 and was at its lowest, 483.61 million number, in 2017.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in World, year by year
| Year | number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 548.32 million number | — |
| 1977 | 557.74 million number | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 562.53 million number | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 567.69 million number | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 575.46 million number | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 577.95 million number | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 582.40 million number | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 585.00 million number | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 587.58 million number | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 591.32 million number | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 594.70 million number | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 595.70 million number | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 573.14 million number | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 575.47 million number | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 581.12 million number | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 578.56 million number | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 580.62 million number | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 582.53 million number | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 583.09 million number | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 583.30 million number | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 583.85 million number | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 536.85 million number | -8.0% |
| 1998 | 522.48 million number | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 522.50 million number | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 528.41 million number | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 527.92 million number | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 528.14 million number | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 524.76 million number | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 523.33 million number | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 535.90 million number | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 528.80 million number | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 530.03 million number | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 524.49 million number | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 522.17 million number | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 511.32 million number | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 507.25 million number | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 502.69 million number | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 503.48 million number | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 494.72 million number | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 494.85 million number | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 486.57 million number | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 483.61 million number | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 487.43 million number | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 484.99 million number | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 559.07 million number | 548.32 million number | 567.69 million number | 4 |
| 1980s | 583.87 million number | 573.14 million number | 595.70 million number | 10 |
| 1990s | 565.49 million number | 522.48 million number | 583.85 million number | 10 |
| 2000s | 527.39 million number | 522.17 million number | 535.90 million number | 10 |
| 2010s | 495.69 million number | 483.61 million number | 511.32 million number | 10 |
Countries ranked near World
More education data for World
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 65.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0042 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 34.10 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 101.5% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 102.8% (2024)
- Labor force, total, per capita 0.4548 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in World?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in World was 484.99 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 595.70 million number in 1987.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 483.61 million number in 2017.
- How does World rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- World ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 2019.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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
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About this data
Total number of females over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.