Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in China

China: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male was 9.14 million number in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
9.14 million number
World rank
6th
of 87 countries
All-time high
72.74 million number
in 1982
All-time low
9.14 million number
in 2018
Years of data
5
1982–2018

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in China, 1982–2018

020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M1982200020181982: 72.7M number1990: 55.8M number2000: 24.1M number2010: 14.3M number2018: 9.1M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

China recorded 9.14 million number for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

The figure is down 36.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in China peaked at 72.74 million number in 1982 and was at its lowest, 9.14 million number, in 2018.

That places China 6th out of 87 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male (number) in China, 1982 to 2018.
Year number Change
1982 72.74 million number
1990 55.82 million number -23.3%
2000 24.06 million number -56.9%
2010 14.29 million number -40.6%
2018 9.14 million number -36.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 72.74 million number 72.74 million number 72.74 million number 1
1990s 55.82 million number 55.82 million number 55.82 million number 1
2000s 24.06 million number 24.06 million number 24.06 million number 1
2010s 11.71 million number 9.14 million number 14.29 million number 2

Countries ranked near China

  1. 3 Nigeria 15.90 million number compare
  2. 4 Bangladesh 13.49 million number compare
  3. 5 Ethiopia 12.63 million number compare
  4. 7 Egypt 7.51 million number compare
  5. 8 Brazil 5.60 million number compare
  6. 9 Cote d'Ivoire 3.42 million number compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More education data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in China?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in China was 9.14 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 72.74 million number in 1982.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 9.14 million number in 2018.
How does China rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male?
China ranks 6th out of 87 countries with data for 2018.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 36.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China 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 — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in China. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-male-number/china/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-male-number/china/">Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in China</a> — Statizoid

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.