Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in World
World: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male was 287.65 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling
Latest (2019)
287.65 million number
Change on year
down 0.3%
Rank
1st
of 1 groups
All-time high
343.87 million number
in 1986
All-time low
283.58 million number
in 2016
Years of data
44
1976–2019
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in World, 1976–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.
Analysis
In 2019, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in World stood at 287.65 million number.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in World peaked at 343.87 million number in 1986 and was at its lowest, 283.58 million number, in 2016.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in World, year by year
| Year | number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 318.92 million number | — |
| 1977 | 323.81 million number | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 326.23 million number | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 328.93 million number | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 333.68 million number | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 335.75 million number | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 336.76 million number | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 338.35 million number | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 339.93 million number | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 342.03 million number | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 343.87 million number | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 343.15 million number | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 327.53 million number | -4.6% |
| 1989 | 328.93 million number | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 334.09 million number | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 332.98 million number | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 331.18 million number | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 330.35 million number | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 330.43 million number | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 330.77 million number | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 331.35 million number | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 312.34 million number | -5.7% |
| 1998 | 292.97 million number | -6.2% |
| 1999 | 293.20 million number | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 296.86 million number | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 298.20 million number | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 295.81 million number | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 291.05 million number | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 288.48 million number | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 294.27 million number | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 297.73 million number | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 300.51 million number | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 293.85 million number | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 293.88 million number | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 296.78 million number | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 297.99 million number | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 291.72 million number | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 291.99 million number | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 288.49 million number | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 289.32 million number | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 283.58 million number | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 284.05 million number | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 288.41 million number | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 287.65 million number | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 324.47 million number | 318.92 million number | 328.93 million number | 4 |
| 1980s | 337.00 million number | 327.53 million number | 343.87 million number | 10 |
| 1990s | 321.96 million number | 292.97 million number | 334.09 million number | 10 |
| 2000s | 295.07 million number | 288.48 million number | 300.51 million number | 10 |
| 2010s | 290.00 million number | 283.58 million number | 297.99 million number | 10 |
Countries ranked near World
More education data for World
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 65.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0042 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 34.10 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 101.5% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 102.8% (2024)
- Labor force, total, per capita 0.4548 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in World?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male in World was 287.65 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 343.87 million number in 1986.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 283.58 million number in 2016.
- How does World rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male?
- World ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 2019.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, male rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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 — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total number of males over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.