Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female was 55.0% in 2019. ▬ Flat
Latest (2019)
55.0%
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
36th
of 39 groups
All-time high
57.4%
in 1975
All-time low
54.6%
in 2014
Years of data
46
1974–2019
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Latin America & Caribbean, 1974–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2019, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Latin America & Caribbean stood at 55.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 57.4% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 54.6%, in 2014.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 36th out of 39 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 57.4% | — |
| 1975 | 57.4% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 57.3% | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 57.2% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 57.0% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 56.8% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 56.4% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 56.5% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 56.3% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 56.1% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 56.0% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 55.8% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 55.6% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 55.7% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 55.5% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 55.3% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 54.9% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 55.1% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 55.2% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 55.3% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 55.5% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 55.7% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 55.6% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 55.7% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 55.6% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 55.4% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 55.2% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 55.6% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 55.3% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 55.4% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 55.3% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 55.3% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 56.1% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 55.6% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 55.6% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 55.8% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 54.8% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 55.3% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 54.8% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 54.6% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 54.6% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 54.9% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 55.2% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 55.1% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 54.9% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 55.0% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 57.2% | 56.8% | 57.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 55.9% | 55.3% | 56.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 55.4% | 54.9% | 55.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.5% | 55.2% | 56.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.9% | 54.6% | 55.3% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 33 Uganda 64.4% compare
- 34 India 64.4% compare
- 35 Pakistan 63.8% compare
- 36 Brunei Darussalam 63.6% compare
- 37 El Salvador 63.4% compare
- 38 Saudi Arabia 63.1% compare
- 39 Burundi 63.1% compare
More education data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0928 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1923 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 61.44 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.34 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 63.30 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 22.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Latin America & Caribbean was 55.0% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 57.4% in 1975.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.6% in 2014.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 36th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of the adult illiterate population (age 15+) that is female.