Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)
ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 65.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102), 1988–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) recorded 65.8% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) peaked at 65.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 39.3%, in 1988.
That places ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) 147th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 39.3% | — |
| 1989 | 39.9% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 40.6% | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 41.3% | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 42.0% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 42.8% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 43.5% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 44.2% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 45.0% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 46.0% | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 46.1% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 46.9% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 47.6% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 48.4% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 47.3% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 48.2% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 48.3% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 47.2% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 45.7% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 48.2% | +5.5% |
| 2008 | 48.7% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 49.3% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 50.2% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 53.9% | +7.3% |
| 2012 | 56.4% | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 57.8% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 58.5% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 59.2% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 60.3% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 61.7% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 62.4% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 62.9% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 63.5% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 64.1% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 64.7% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 65.3% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 65.8% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.6% | 39.3% | 39.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 43.8% | 40.6% | 46.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.9% | 45.7% | 49.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.3% | 50.2% | 62.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.7% | 63.5% | 65.8% | 5 |
More education data for ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.98 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12.59 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 3.43 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 14.95 million (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 3.58 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 12.51 million (2022)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.9236 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 41.20 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) was 65.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)?
- The highest recorded value was 65.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.3% in 1988.
- How does ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) ranks 147th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: East Africa (unsdcode:98102) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release