Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)
ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102): Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male was 33.98 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
33.98 million
Change on year
up 2.8%
Rank
84th
of 203 groups
All-time high
33.98 million
in 2024
All-time low
18.01 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1989–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102), 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) stood at 33.98 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) peaked at 33.98 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 18.01 million, in 1990.
That places ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) 84th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 18.21 million | — |
| 1990 | 18.01 million | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 18.36 million | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 18.75 million | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 19.12 million | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 19.50 million | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 20.18 million | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 20.58 million | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 20.69 million | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 21.35 million | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 21.67 million | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 22.26 million | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 22.93 million | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 22.53 million | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 23.04 million | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 24.17 million | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 25.84 million | +6.9% |
| 2006 | 27.34 million | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 27.12 million | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 27.79 million | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 28.40 million | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 29.00 million | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 27.69 million | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 26.61 million | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 27.00 million | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 27.42 million | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 27.83 million | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 28.25 million | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 28.33 million | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 28.95 million | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 29.80 million | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 30.64 million | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 31.43 million | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 32.22 million | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 33.06 million | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 33.98 million | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 18.21 million | 18.21 million | 18.21 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 19.82 million | 18.01 million | 21.67 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.14 million | 22.26 million | 28.40 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.09 million | 26.61 million | 29.80 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.27 million | 30.64 million | 33.98 million | 5 |
More education data for ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.98 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12.59 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 3.43 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 14.95 million (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 3.58 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 12.51 million (2022)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.9236 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 41.20 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) was 33.98 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)?
- The highest recorded value was 33.98 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.01 million in 1990.
- How does ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male?
- ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) ranks 84th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male rising or falling in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release