Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
40
Highest
92.0%
Kuwait
Lowest
42.0%
Uruguay
Median
63.5%
Years covered
35
1990–2024
Data points
374
What the numbers show
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female is currently reported for 40 countries. The highest value is 92.0% in Kuwait; the lowest is 42.0% in Uruguay.
The median across all reporting countries is 63.5%, and the mean is 63.5%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 14 countries rose and 22 fell. The largest increase was in Thailand (up 33.3%), and the largest decrease in Uzbekistan (down 50.0%).
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, % female: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuwait | 92.0% | 2018 | up 4.5% | rising |
| 2 | Türkiye | 84.0% | 2015 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Togo | 80.0% | 2019 | up 6.7% | rising |
| 4 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 77.0% | 2023 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 5 | Palestine, State of | 76.0% | 2022 | down 1.3% | rising |
| 6 | Peru | 74.0% | 2020 | down 3.9% | flat |
| 7 | Indonesia | 71.0% | 2020 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 7 | Mozambique | 71.0% | 2020 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 9 | Morocco | 69.0% | 2014 | up 1.5% | flat |
| 10 | Spain | 67.0% | 2020 | down 2.9% | flat |
| 10 | Cambodia | 67.0% | 2019 | down 11.8% | falling |
| 10 | Jordan | 67.0% | 2024 | up 13.6% | flat |
| 10 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 67.0% | 2016 | up 3.1% | rising |
| 10 | Oman | 67.0% | 2022 | up 24.1% | rising |
| 10 | El Salvador | 67.0% | 2024 | down 1.5% | flat |
| 10 | Armenia | 67.0% | 2020 | up 1.5% | falling |
| 17 | Guatemala | 65.0% | 2018 | down 3.0% | flat |
| 17 | Senegal | 65.0% | 2017 | up 4.8% | flat |
| 19 | Azerbaijan | 64.0% | 2023 | down 8.6% | falling |
| 19 | Thailand | 64.0% | 2018 | up 33.3% | flat |
| 21 | Mali | 63.0% | 2018 | up 6.8% | rising |
| 21 | Georgia | 63.0% | 2024 | up 6.8% | falling |
| 21 | Uganda | 63.0% | 2014 | down 7.4% | flat |
| 24 | Mexico | 61.0% | 2020 | down 3.2% | flat |
| 24 | Malaysia | 61.0% | 2022 | down 9.0% | falling |
| 24 | Pakistan | 61.0% | 2019 | unchanged | flat |
| 27 | Paraguay | 60.0% | 2020 | down 3.2% | falling |
| 28 | Ecuador | 59.0% | 2022 | down 1.7% | falling |
| 29 | Sri Lanka | 58.0% | 2024 | down 4.9% | rising |
| 30 | Bangladesh | 57.0% | 2022 | unchanged | rising |
| 31 | Colombia | 55.0% | 2020 | down 1.8% | falling |
| 31 | Chile | 55.0% | 2017 | down 3.5% | flat |
| 31 | Burkina Faso | 55.0% | 2019 | down 8.3% | rising |
| 34 | Honduras | 54.0% | 2019 | down 6.9% | flat |
| 34 | Brazil | 54.0% | 2018 | unchanged | flat |
| 36 | South Africa | 51.0% | 2024 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 37 | Uzbekistan | 50.0% | 2022 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 37 | Philippines | 50.0% | 2020 | up 8.7% | falling |
| 39 | Dominican Republic | 49.0% | 2024 | down 5.8% | falling |
| 40 | Uruguay | 42.0% | 2022 | down 6.7% | falling |
About this data
February 2026 Data Release