Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in MDG: World
MDG: World: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 84.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
84.6%
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
76th
of 203 groups
All-time high
84.6%
in 2024
All-time low
56.7%
in 1976
Years of data
49
1976–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in MDG: World, 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in MDG: World is 84.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in MDG: World peaked at 84.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 56.7%, in 1976.
MDG: World ranks 76th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in MDG: World, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 56.7% | — |
| 1977 | 57.1% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 57.8% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 58.6% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 59.4% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 60.1% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 60.9% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 61.6% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 62.4% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 63.2% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 63.9% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 64.7% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 66.6% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 67.2% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 68.0% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 68.5% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 69.0% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 69.5% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 70.0% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 70.6% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 71.2% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 74.0% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 75.2% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 75.7% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 75.9% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 76.3% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 76.7% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 77.2% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 77.6% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 77.5% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 77.6% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 78.4% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 78.9% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 79.3% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 80.2% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 80.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 80.8% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 81.2% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 81.7% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 82.1% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 82.6% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 82.8% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 83.2% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 83.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 83.6% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 83.8% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 84.1% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 84.4% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 84.6% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 57.5% | 56.7% | 58.6% | 4 |
| 1980s | 63.0% | 59.4% | 67.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.2% | 68.0% | 75.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.5% | 75.9% | 79.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.9% | 80.2% | 83.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.1% | 83.6% | 84.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near MDG: World
More education data for MDG: World
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.5777 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 337.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.7457 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 314.66 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.21 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 376.42 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 404.43 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.4213 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in MDG: World?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in MDG: World was 84.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in MDG: World?
- The highest recorded value was 84.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in MDG: World?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.7% in 1976.
- How does MDG: World rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- MDG: World ranks 76th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in MDG: World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MDG: World 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release