Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in WB: East Asia & Pacific
WB: East Asia & Pacific: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male was 20.23 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
20.23 million
Change on year
down 2.6%
Rank
96th
of 203 groups
All-time high
72.66 million
in 1989
All-time low
20.23 million
in 2024
Years of data
36
1989–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in WB: East Asia & Pacific, 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
WB: East Asia & Pacific recorded 20.23 million for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 23.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in WB: East Asia & Pacific peaked at 72.66 million in 1989 and was at its lowest, 20.23 million, in 2024.
WB: East Asia & Pacific ranks 96th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in WB: East Asia & Pacific, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 72.66 million | — |
| 1990 | 70.42 million | -3.1% |
| 1991 | 69.57 million | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 68.69 million | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 68.14 million | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 66.73 million | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 65.29 million | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 64.19 million | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 45.17 million | -29.6% |
| 1998 | 44.47 million | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 43.66 million | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 42.44 million | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 41.94 million | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 41.02 million | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 40.18 million | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 39.03 million | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 38.01 million | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 36.92 million | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 31.69 million | -14.2% |
| 2008 | 30.48 million | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 29.86 million | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 31.10 million | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 29.77 million | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 28.82 million | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 28.84 million | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 26.56 million | -7.9% |
| 2015 | 25.12 million | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 24.30 million | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 23.74 million | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 24.40 million | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 23.87 million | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 22.47 million | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 21.88 million | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 21.27 million | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 20.77 million | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 20.23 million | -2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 72.66 million | 72.66 million | 72.66 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 60.63 million | 43.66 million | 70.42 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.16 million | 29.86 million | 42.44 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.65 million | 23.74 million | 31.10 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.32 million | 20.23 million | 22.47 million | 5 |
More education data for WB: East Asia & Pacific
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.4 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 82.79 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 91.26 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 61.72 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 2.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 45.77 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 8.16 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 93.00 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in WB: East Asia & Pacific?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in WB: East Asia & Pacific was 20.23 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in WB: East Asia & Pacific?
- The highest recorded value was 72.66 million in 1989.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in WB: East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.23 million in 2024.
- How does WB: East Asia & Pacific rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male?
- WB: East Asia & Pacific ranks 96th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male rising or falling in WB: East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this WB: East Asia & Pacific 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 — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release