Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Bangladesh

Bangladesh: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male was 13.49 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
13.49 million number
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
4th
of 87 countries
All-time high
24.34 million number
in 2007
All-time low
13.49 million number
in 2019
Years of data
13
1981–2019

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Bangladesh, 1981–2019

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M1981200020191981: 14.2M number1991: 17.8M number2001: 19.6M number2007: 24.3M number2011: 19.5M number2012: 20.3M number2013: 19.3M number2014: 19.5M number2015: 17.8M number2016: 13.9M number2017: 14.1M number2018: 13.7M number2019: 13.5M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Bangladesh recorded 13.49 million number for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 44.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Bangladesh peaked at 24.34 million number in 2007 and was at its lowest, 13.49 million number, in 2019.

That places Bangladesh 4th out of 87 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Bangladesh, year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male (number) in Bangladesh, 1981 to 2019.
Year number Change
1981 14.20 million number
1991 17.82 million number +25.5%
2001 19.65 million number +10.3%
2007 24.34 million number +23.9%
2011 19.47 million number -20.0%
2012 20.33 million number +4.4%
2013 19.27 million number -5.2%
2014 19.55 million number +1.4%
2015 17.84 million number -8.7%
2016 13.86 million number -22.3%
2017 14.06 million number +1.4%
2018 13.73 million number -2.3%
2019 13.49 million number -1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 14.20 million number 14.20 million number 14.20 million number 1
1990s 17.82 million number 17.82 million number 17.82 million number 1
2000s 21.99 million number 19.65 million number 24.34 million number 2
2010s 16.84 million number 13.49 million number 20.33 million number 9

Countries ranked near Bangladesh

  1. 1 India 90.08 million number compare
  2. 2 Pakistan 19.84 million number compare
  3. 3 Nigeria 15.90 million number compare
  4. 5 Ethiopia 12.63 million number compare
  5. 6 China 9.14 million number compare
  6. 7 Egypt 7.51 million number compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More education data for Bangladesh

All data for Bangladesh →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Bangladesh?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Bangladesh was 13.49 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in Bangladesh?
The highest recorded value was 24.34 million number in 2007.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in Bangladesh?
The lowest recorded value was 13.49 million number in 2019.
How does Bangladesh rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male?
Bangladesh ranks 4th out of 87 countries with data for 2019.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male rising or falling in Bangladesh?
Over the last ten years it is down 44.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Bangladesh 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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Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Bangladesh. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-male-number/bangladesh/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
126 places, 2,271 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of males over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.