Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in MDG: Southern Asia
MDG: Southern Asia: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male was 124.75 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
124.75 million
Change on year
down 1.3%
Rank
22nd
of 203 groups
All-time high
143.02 million
in 2007
All-time low
124.75 million
in 2024
Years of data
26
1999–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in MDG: Southern Asia, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in MDG: Southern Asia stood at 124.75 million. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in MDG: Southern Asia peaked at 143.02 million in 2007 and was at its lowest, 124.75 million, in 2024.
MDG: Southern Asia ranks 22nd of 203 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in MDG: Southern Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 138.53 million | — |
| 2000 | 137.26 million | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 139.24 million | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 139.57 million | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 137.65 million | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 137.89 million | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 138.75 million | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 142.90 million | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 143.02 million | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 141.38 million | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 140.51 million | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 135.26 million | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 138.45 million | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 140.87 million | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 138.55 million | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 138.39 million | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 134.01 million | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 129.63 million | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 129.16 million | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 129.74 million | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 134.10 million | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 132.83 million | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 130.64 million | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 128.10 million | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 126.43 million | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 124.75 million | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 138.53 million | 138.53 million | 138.53 million | 1 |
| 2000s | 139.82 million | 137.26 million | 143.02 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 134.82 million | 129.16 million | 140.87 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 128.55 million | 124.75 million | 132.83 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near MDG: Southern Asia
More education data for MDG: Southern Asia
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 7.57 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.70 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.81 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 88.16 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.205 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 94.56 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 54.48 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 28.18 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in MDG: Southern Asia?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in MDG: Southern Asia was 124.75 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in MDG: Southern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 143.02 million in 2007.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in MDG: Southern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 124.75 million in 2024.
- How does MDG: Southern Asia rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male?
- MDG: Southern Asia ranks 22nd out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male rising or falling in MDG: Southern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this MDG: Southern Asia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release