Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female was 60.3% in 2019. ▬ Flat
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1985–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 60.3% for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 62.9% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 60.3%, in 2019.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 28th out of 39 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 61.5% | — |
| 1986 | 61.5% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 61.6% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 61.6% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 61.7% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 61.7% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 61.4% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 61.8% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 61.8% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 61.8% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 61.6% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 61.6% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 61.5% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 61.6% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 61.7% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 61.6% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 61.6% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 62.4% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 62.1% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 62.9% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 62.2% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 61.2% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 61.3% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 61.0% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 61.3% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 61.2% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 61.2% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 61.3% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 61.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 61.2% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 61.0% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 60.8% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 60.5% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 60.4% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 60.3% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 61.6% | 61.5% | 61.7% | 5 |
| 1990s | 61.7% | 61.4% | 61.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.8% | 61.0% | 62.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.9% | 60.3% | 61.3% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.43 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.80 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9738 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa was 60.3% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 62.9% in 2004.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.3% in 2019.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 28th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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 — 35 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.