Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female was 663,785 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
663,785
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
18th
of 40 countries
All-time high
783,403
in 2008
All-time low
641,225
in 2016
Years of data
13
2001–2024

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Sri Lanka, 2001–2024

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k2001201220242001: 705.1k2006: 768.7k2008: 783.4k2010: 730.2k2016: 641.2k2017: 686.3k2018: 703.8k2019: 670.3k2020: 666.1k2021: 671.0k2022: 668.8k2023: 656.1k2024: 663.8k

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Sri Lanka is 663,785, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Sri Lanka peaked at 783,403 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 641,225, in 2016.

Sri Lanka ranks 18th of 40 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female (number) in Sri Lanka, 2001 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2001 705,112
2006 768,745 +9.0%
2008 783,403 +1.9%
2010 730,249 -6.8%
2016 641,225 -12.2%
2017 686,298 +7.0%
2018 703,837 +2.6%
2019 670,267 -4.8%
2020 666,105 -0.6%
2021 670,991 +0.7%
2022 668,772 -0.3%
2023 656,073 -1.9%
2024 663,785 +1.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 752,420 705,112 783,403 3
2010s 686,375 641,225 730,249 5
2020s 665,145 656,073 670,991 5

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 15 Togo 834,815 compare
  2. 16 Guatemala 791,179 compare
  3. 17 Cambodia 684,099 compare
  4. 19 Türkiye 509,349 compare
  5. 20 Peru 456,459 compare
  6. 21 Philippines 395,728 compare

See the full ranking of 40 places →

More education data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Sri Lanka?
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Sri Lanka was 663,785 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 783,403 in 2008.
What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 641,225 in 2016.
How does Sri Lanka rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female?
Sri Lanka ranks 18th out of 40 countries with data for 2024.
Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-rural-female-number/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
40 places, 374 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release