Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, male (number) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
40
Highest
16.24 million
Pakistan
Lowest
1
Uzbekistan
Median
336,186
Years covered
35
1990–2024
Data points
374
What the numbers show
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, male (number) is currently reported for 40 countries. The highest value is 16.24 million in Pakistan; the lowest is 1 in Uzbekistan.
The median across all reporting countries is 336,186, and the mean is 1.15 million.
Over the past decade 15 countries rose and 25 fell. The largest increase was in Jordan (up 152.8%), and the largest decrease in Uzbekistan (down 99.8%).
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, male: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pakistan | 16.24 million | 2019 | up 18.5% | rising |
| 2 | Bangladesh | 5.37 million | 2022 | down 62.4% | falling |
| 3 | Burkina Faso | 2.94 million | 2019 | up 32.9% | rising |
| 4 | Mali | 2.43 million | 2018 | up 29.8% | rising |
| 5 | Brazil | 2.25 million | 2018 | down 14.7% | falling |
| 6 | Uganda | 1.89 million | 2014 | up 51.9% | rising |
| 7 | Indonesia | 1.85 million | 2020 | down 48.8% | falling |
| 8 | Morocco | 1.83 million | 2014 | down 17.7% | falling |
| 9 | Mozambique | 1.78 million | 2020 | up 15.8% | flat |
| 10 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 1.50 million | 2016 | down 18.7% | falling |
| 11 | South Africa | 1.02 million | 2024 | up 89.7% | falling |
| 12 | Senegal | 936,516 | 2017 | down 11.2% | falling |
| 13 | Thailand | 908,398 | 2018 | up 86.2% | rising |
| 14 | Mexico | 898,113 | 2020 | down 19.6% | falling |
| 15 | Guatemala | 513,046 | 2018 | up 11.2% | falling |
| 16 | Sri Lanka | 494,028 | 2024 | up 8.1% | flat |
| 17 | Colombia | 455,862 | 2020 | down 15.8% | falling |
| 18 | Philippines | 436,622 | 2020 | down 56.3% | falling |
| 19 | Togo | 428,696 | 2019 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 20 | Cambodia | 389,590 | 2019 | down 40.9% | falling |
| 21 | Honduras | 282,782 | 2019 | down 7.6% | falling |
| 22 | Peru | 179,761 | 2020 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 23 | Malaysia | 158,002 | 2022 | down 41.3% | falling |
| 24 | Ecuador | 134,231 | 2022 | down 44.8% | falling |
| 25 | Türkiye | 107,871 | 2015 | down 80.3% | volatile |
| 26 | El Salvador | 103,187 | 2024 | down 25.4% | falling |
| 27 | Dominican Republic | 90,708 | 2024 | down 49.3% | falling |
| 28 | Chile | 83,980 | 2017 | up 8.6% | falling |
| 29 | Paraguay | 75,039 | 2020 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 30 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 69,772 | 2023 | up 0.1% | falling |
| 31 | Kuwait | 67,948 | 2018 | up 24.7% | rising |
| 32 | Spain | 53,829 | 2020 | down 44.2% | falling |
| 33 | Jordan | 17,093 | 2024 | up 152.8% | volatile |
| 34 | Oman | 12,399 | 2022 | down 69.4% | volatile |
| 35 | Azerbaijan | 3,800 | 2023 | up 75.0% | rising |
| 36 | Palestine, State of | 3,117 | 2022 | down 24.9% | volatile |
| 37 | Georgia | 2,671 | 2024 | down 21.7% | rising |
| 38 | Uruguay | 1,873 | 2022 | down 32.7% | falling |
| 39 | Armenia | 1,030 | 2020 | down 22.3% | falling |
| 40 | Uzbekistan | 1 | 2022 | down 99.8% | volatile |
About this data
February 2026 Data Release