Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, male (number) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
40
Highest
5.90 million
Pakistan
Lowest
1
Uzbekistan
Median
169,692
Years covered
35
1990–2024
Data points
374
What the numbers show
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, male (number) is currently reported for 40 countries. The highest value is 5.90 million in Pakistan; the lowest is 1 in Uzbekistan.
The median across all reporting countries is 169,692, and the mean is 635,306.
Over the past decade 18 countries rose and 21 fell. The largest increase was in Jordan (up 329.7%), and the largest decrease in Oman (down 73.2%).
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, male: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pakistan | 5.90 million | 2019 | up 21.6% | rising |
| 2 | Bangladesh | 5.37 million | 2022 | up 5.0% | rising |
| 3 | Brazil | 3.27 million | 2018 | down 16.3% | falling |
| 4 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 1.61 million | 2016 | down 2.8% | flat |
| 5 | Morocco | 1.16 million | 2014 | down 3.9% | falling |
| 6 | South Africa | 907,718 | 2024 | up 166.8% | rising |
| 7 | Mexico | 880,636 | 2020 | down 12.2% | falling |
| 8 | Indonesia | 729,303 | 2020 | down 26.0% | falling |
| 9 | Burkina Faso | 676,323 | 2019 | up 174.2% | rising |
| 10 | Senegal | 603,911 | 2017 | up 33.1% | rising |
| 11 | Mali | 421,227 | 2018 | down 22.7% | falling |
| 12 | Colombia | 404,747 | 2020 | down 18.8% | falling |
| 13 | Thailand | 384,898 | 2018 | down 10.1% | rising |
| 14 | Mozambique | 368,127 | 2020 | up 25.2% | rising |
| 15 | Türkiye | 309,488 | 2015 | down 28.3% | falling |
| 16 | Uganda | 303,908 | 2014 | up 325.1% | volatile |
| 17 | Malaysia | 286,091 | 2022 | up 33.5% | rising |
| 18 | Guatemala | 267,166 | 2018 | up 19.9% | rising |
| 19 | Peru | 181,746 | 2020 | up 51.1% | falling |
| 20 | Philippines | 170,116 | 2020 | down 44.0% | rising |
| 21 | Chile | 169,268 | 2017 | up 33.5% | rising |
| 22 | Dominican Republic | 161,478 | 2024 | up 35.6% | falling |
| 23 | Spain | 137,791 | 2020 | down 27.4% | falling |
| 24 | Jordan | 132,365 | 2024 | up 329.7% | rising |
| 25 | Honduras | 105,868 | 2019 | up 29.2% | rising |
| 26 | Cambodia | 101,406 | 2019 | up 101.2% | rising |
| 27 | El Salvador | 80,502 | 2024 | up 9.7% | falling |
| 28 | Ecuador | 68,366 | 2022 | down 37.2% | rising |
| 29 | Togo | 65,751 | 2019 | down 42.1% | falling |
| 30 | Sri Lanka | 58,946 | 2024 | up 2.7% | flat |
| 31 | Paraguay | 42,565 | 2020 | up 41.2% | rising |
| 32 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 25,967 | 2023 | down 12.0% | falling |
| 33 | Oman | 20,982 | 2022 | down 73.2% | falling |
| 34 | Uruguay | 17,529 | 2022 | down 18.1% | falling |
| 35 | Palestine, State of | 13,602 | 2022 | down 29.1% | falling |
| 36 | Azerbaijan | 2,300 | 2023 | down 10.4% | rising |
| 37 | Kuwait | 1,987 | 2018 | down 44.7% | falling |
| 38 | Georgia | 791 | 2024 | down 36.0% | rising |
| 39 | Armenia | 590 | 2020 | down 15.8% | falling |
| 40 | Uzbekistan | 1 | 2022 | — | volatile |
About this data
February 2026 Data Release