Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female was 63.1% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1973–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 63.1%, measured in 2019.
The figure is down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 67.4% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 62.1%, in 1976.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 17th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 62.2% | — |
| 1974 | 62.2% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 62.3% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 62.1% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 62.3% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 62.3% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 62.4% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 62.4% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 62.5% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 62.6% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 62.4% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 62.5% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 62.7% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 62.7% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 62.8% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 62.9% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 63.0% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 63.3% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 63.4% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 63.5% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 64.2% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 64.1% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 64.2% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 64.2% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 64.5% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 64.8% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 64.9% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 64.9% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 65.2% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 65.2% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 67.4% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 67.3% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 66.1% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 64.6% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 65.0% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 64.9% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 64.2% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 64.0% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 64.3% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 66.3% | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 66.8% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 66.8% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 64.7% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 65.0% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 64.5% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 63.1% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 63.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 62.2% | 62.1% | 62.4% | 7 |
| 1980s | 62.7% | 62.4% | 63.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.1% | 63.3% | 64.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.5% | 64.2% | 67.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.9% | 63.1% | 66.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More education data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.29 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.113 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 31.7% (2025)
- 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)
- Population ages 15-64 63.1% (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 68.09 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91.90 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 63.1% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 67.4% in 2003.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.1% in 1976.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 17th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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 — 47 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.