Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in World

World: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female was 62.8% in 2019. ▬ Flat

Latest (2019)
62.8%
Change on year
down 0.1%
Rank
1st
of 1 groups
All-time high
64.6%
in 2005
All-time low
62.8%
in 2019
Years of data
44
1976–2019

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in World, 1976–2019

02040601976199720191976: 63.21977: 63.31978: 63.31979: 63.31980: 63.31981: 63.31982: 63.41983: 63.41984: 63.41985: 63.41986: 63.41987: 63.41988: 63.61989: 63.61990: 63.51991: 63.51992: 63.71993: 63.81994: 63.81995: 63.81996: 63.81997: 63.21998: 64.11999: 64.12000: 642001: 63.92002: 64.12003: 64.32004: 64.52005: 64.62006: 642007: 63.82008: 64.12009: 642010: 63.32011: 632012: 63.32013: 63.32014: 63.22015: 63.12016: 63.22017: 632018: 62.82019: 62.8

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2019, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in World stood at 62.8%. That is the lowest value across all 44 years on record.

The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in World peaked at 64.6% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 62.8%, in 2019.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in World, year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in World, 1976 to 2019.
Year Value Change
1976 63.2%
1977 63.3% +0.1%
1978 63.3% +0.0%
1979 63.3% +0.0%
1980 63.3% -0.0%
1981 63.3% -0.1%
1982 63.4% +0.2%
1983 63.4% -0.0%
1984 63.4% -0.0%
1985 63.4% +0.0%
1986 63.4% +0.0%
1987 63.4% +0.1%
1988 63.6% +0.3%
1989 63.6% -0.0%
1990 63.5% -0.2%
1991 63.5% -0.0%
1992 63.7% +0.3%
1993 63.8% +0.2%
1994 63.8% +0.0%
1995 63.8% -0.0%
1996 63.8% -0.0%
1997 63.2% -0.9%
1998 64.1% +1.3%
1999 64.1% -0.0%
2000 64.0% -0.0%
2001 63.9% -0.2%
2002 64.1% +0.3%
2003 64.3% +0.4%
2004 64.5% +0.2%
2005 64.6% +0.1%
2006 64.0% -0.9%
2007 63.8% -0.3%
2008 64.1% +0.4%
2009 64.0% -0.2%
2010 63.3% -1.1%
2011 63.0% -0.4%
2012 63.3% +0.5%
2013 63.3% +0.0%
2014 63.2% -0.2%
2015 63.1% -0.1%
2016 63.2% +0.1%
2017 63.0% -0.3%
2018 62.8% -0.3%
2019 62.8% -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 63.3% 63.2% 63.3% 4
1980s 63.4% 63.3% 63.6% 10
1990s 63.7% 63.2% 64.1% 10
2000s 64.1% 63.8% 64.6% 10
2010s 63.1% 62.8% 63.3% 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 Uzbekistan 99.9% compare
  2. 2 Turkey 85.3% compare
  3. 3 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 76.7% compare
  4. 4 Montenegro 76.7% compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More education data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in World?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in World was 62.8% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 64.6% in 2005.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 62.8% in 2019.
How does World rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female?
World ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 2019.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this World 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.

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Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-percent-female/world/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
126 places, 2,267 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Share of the adult illiterate population (age 15+) that is female.