Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Europe & Central Asia

Europe & Central Asia: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male was 4.12 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
4.12 million number
Change on year
down 2.1%
Rank
32nd
of 39 groups
All-time high
8.29 million number
in 1994
All-time low
4.12 million number
in 2019
Years of data
26
1994–2019

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Europe & Central Asia, 1994–2019

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M1994200620191994: 8.3M number1995: 8.1M number1996: 7.9M number1997: 7.7M number1998: 7.7M number1999: 7.5M number2000: 7.3M number2001: 7.1M number2002: 6.7M number2003: 6.6M number2004: 6.4M number2005: 6.4M number2006: 6.0M number2007: 6.2M number2008: 5.8M number2009: 5.8M number2010: 5.6M number2011: 5.0M number2012: 4.8M number2013: 4.7M number2014: 4.6M number2015: 4.5M number2016: 4.4M number2017: 4.3M number2018: 4.2M number2019: 4.1M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Europe & Central Asia recorded 4.12 million number for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 29.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 8.29 million number in 1994 and was at its lowest, 4.12 million number, in 2019.

Europe & Central Asia ranks 32nd of 39 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Europe & Central Asia, year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male (number) in Europe & Central Asia, 1994 to 2019.
Year number Change
1994 8.29 million number
1995 8.10 million number -2.3%
1996 7.89 million number -2.6%
1997 7.71 million number -2.2%
1998 7.66 million number -0.7%
1999 7.51 million number -1.9%
2000 7.28 million number -3.0%
2001 7.14 million number -2.0%
2002 6.68 million number -6.3%
2003 6.56 million number -1.9%
2004 6.40 million number -2.5%
2005 6.45 million number +0.8%
2006 6.04 million number -6.3%
2007 6.19 million number +2.6%
2008 5.78 million number -6.7%
2009 5.84 million number +1.1%
2010 5.59 million number -4.3%
2011 4.99 million number -10.8%
2012 4.81 million number -3.5%
2013 4.68 million number -2.8%
2014 4.60 million number -1.7%
2015 4.50 million number -2.1%
2016 4.36 million number -3.2%
2017 4.31 million number -1.1%
2018 4.21 million number -2.5%
2019 4.12 million number -2.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 7.86 million number 7.51 million number 8.29 million number 6
2000s 6.44 million number 5.78 million number 7.28 million number 10
2010s 4.62 million number 4.12 million number 5.59 million number 10

Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia

  1. 29 Cameroon 1.25 million number compare
  2. 30 Iraq 1.01 million number compare
  3. 31 Colombia 952,994 number compare
  4. 32 Rwanda 803,552 number compare
  5. 33 Burundi 683,416 number compare
  6. 34 Cambodia 683,262 number compare
  7. 35 Philippines 646,584 number compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More education data for Europe & Central Asia

All data for Europe & Central Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Europe & Central Asia?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Europe & Central Asia was 4.12 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
The highest recorded value was 8.29 million number in 1994.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 4.12 million number in 2019.
How does Europe & Central Asia rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male?
Europe & Central Asia ranks 32nd out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Europe & Central 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.

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Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in Europe & Central Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-male-number/europe-and-central-asia/

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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.