Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420)
ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 70.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420), 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) recorded 70.6% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) peaked at 70.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 22.6%, in 1975.
ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) ranks 128th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 22.6% | — |
| 1976 | 22.8% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 23.6% | +3.5% |
| 1978 | 24.4% | +3.5% |
| 1979 | 25.1% | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 25.9% | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 26.7% | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 27.6% | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 28.5% | +3.4% |
| 1984 | 29.8% | +4.5% |
| 1985 | 30.6% | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 31.5% | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 32.4% | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 32.5% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 33.4% | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 34.5% | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 35.5% | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 36.4% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 37.3% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 38.2% | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 39.3% | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 40.3% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 41.3% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 45.6% | +10.2% |
| 1999 | 46.6% | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 47.7% | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 48.8% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 49.8% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 50.7% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 51.7% | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 51.1% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 51.5% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 52.7% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 54.0% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 55.1% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 58.7% | +6.5% |
| 2011 | 59.4% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 59.6% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 60.8% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 61.8% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 63.2% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 64.7% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 65.4% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 66.2% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 66.2% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 67.1% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 68.0% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 69.0% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 69.8% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 70.6% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 23.7% | 22.6% | 25.1% | 5 |
| 1980s | 29.9% | 25.9% | 33.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.5% | 34.5% | 46.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.3% | 47.7% | 55.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.6% | 58.7% | 66.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.9% | 67.1% | 70.6% | 5 |
More education data for ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.5261 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 100.71 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.1925 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 93.84 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.01 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 108.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 3.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 4.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.19 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) was 70.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420)?
- The highest recorded value was 70.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420)?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.6% in 1975.
- How does ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) ranks 128th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) 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