Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, both sexes (number) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
40
Highest
44.17 million
Pakistan
Lowest
2
Uzbekistan
Median
716,120
Years covered
35
1990–2024
Data points
374
What the numbers show
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, both sexes (number) is currently reported for 40 countries. The highest value is 44.17 million in Pakistan; the lowest is 2 in Uzbekistan.
The median across all reporting countries is 716,120, and the mean is 2.94 million.
Over the past decade 15 countries rose and 25 fell. The largest increase was in Jordan (up 247.1%), and the largest decrease in Uzbekistan (down 99.9%).
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, both sexes: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pakistan | 44.17 million | 2019 | up 10.7% | rising |
| 2 | Bangladesh | 12.62 million | 2022 | down 60.0% | falling |
| 3 | Burkina Faso | 6.50 million | 2019 | up 27.4% | rising |
| 4 | Indonesia | 5.61 million | 2020 | down 45.3% | falling |
| 5 | Mali | 5.56 million | 2018 | up 36.0% | rising |
| 6 | Mozambique | 5.40 million | 2020 | up 10.9% | rising |
| 7 | Uganda | 4.97 million | 2014 | up 32.6% | rising |
| 8 | Morocco | 4.89 million | 2014 | down 15.5% | falling |
| 9 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 4.20 million | 2016 | down 12.8% | falling |
| 10 | Brazil | 3.93 million | 2018 | down 14.3% | falling |
| 11 | Senegal | 2.50 million | 2017 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 12 | Thailand | 2.42 million | 2018 | up 129.3% | rising |
| 13 | South Africa | 2.33 million | 2024 | up 53.2% | falling |
| 14 | Mexico | 2.16 million | 2020 | down 21.1% | falling |
| 15 | Guatemala | 1.30 million | 2018 | up 0.4% | falling |
| 16 | Togo | 1.26 million | 2019 | up 9.0% | rising |
| 17 | Sri Lanka | 1.16 million | 2024 | up 5.4% | falling |
| 18 | Cambodia | 1.07 million | 2019 | down 46.6% | falling |
| 19 | Philippines | 832,350 | 2020 | down 54.1% | falling |
| 20 | Colombia | 796,022 | 2020 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 21 | Peru | 636,219 | 2020 | down 17.2% | falling |
| 22 | Türkiye | 617,220 | 2015 | down 80.0% | volatile |
| 23 | Honduras | 529,829 | 2019 | down 9.3% | falling |
| 24 | Malaysia | 384,869 | 2022 | down 47.4% | falling |
| 25 | Ecuador | 321,761 | 2022 | down 43.3% | falling |
| 26 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 265,196 | 2023 | up 4.5% | falling |
| 27 | El Salvador | 240,043 | 2024 | down 27.9% | falling |
| 28 | Dominican Republic | 160,517 | 2024 | down 50.8% | falling |
| 29 | Chile | 157,255 | 2017 | up 4.1% | falling |
| 30 | Spain | 151,099 | 2020 | down 47.1% | falling |
| 31 | Paraguay | 147,581 | 2020 | down 4.7% | rising |
| 32 | Kuwait | 108,194 | 2018 | up 20.1% | rising |
| 33 | Jordan | 57,622 | 2024 | up 247.1% | volatile |
| 34 | Oman | 33,544 | 2022 | down 62.5% | volatile |
| 35 | Palestine, State of | 14,583 | 2022 | down 35.8% | volatile |
| 36 | Azerbaijan | 10,880 | 2023 | up 61.9% | falling |
| 37 | Georgia | 7,518 | 2024 | down 23.0% | flat |
| 38 | Armenia | 3,111 | 2020 | down 23.1% | falling |
| 39 | Uruguay | 2,690 | 2022 | down 34.1% | falling |
| 40 | Uzbekistan | 2 | 2022 | down 99.9% | volatile |
About this data
February 2026 Data Release