Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries
UNICEF: All Unicef Countries: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 82.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
82.4%
Change on year
up 0.4%
Rank
87th
of 203 groups
All-time high
82.4%
in 2024
All-time low
48.1%
in 1975
Years of data
50
1975–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries stood at 82.4%. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries peaked at 82.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 48.1%, in 1975.
That places UNICEF: All Unicef Countries 87th 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 50 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 48.1% | — |
| 1976 | 48.3% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 48.7% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 49.6% | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 50.6% | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 51.5% | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 52.4% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 53.2% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 54.1% | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 55.1% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 56.0% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 56.8% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 57.7% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 60.0% | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 60.8% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 61.6% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 62.3% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 63.0% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 63.7% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 64.4% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 65.1% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 65.8% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 69.3% | +5.3% |
| 1998 | 70.8% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 71.4% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 71.8% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 72.2% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 72.8% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 73.4% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 73.9% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 73.8% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 73.9% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 74.9% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 75.4% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 76.0% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 77.0% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 77.5% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 77.8% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 78.3% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 78.8% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 79.4% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 79.9% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 80.2% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 80.7% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 80.8% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 81.2% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 81.4% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 81.8% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 82.1% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 82.4% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 49.1% | 48.1% | 50.6% | 5 |
| 1980s | 55.8% | 51.5% | 60.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 65.7% | 61.6% | 71.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 73.8% | 71.8% | 76.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.1% | 77.0% | 80.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.8% | 81.2% | 82.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: All Unicef Countries
More education data for UNICEF: All Unicef Countries
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 569.51 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.8422 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 274.67 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 29.12 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.6486 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 345.07 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 294.84 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries was 82.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- The highest recorded value was 82.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.1% in 1975.
- How does UNICEF: All Unicef Countries rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- UNICEF: All Unicef Countries ranks 87th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: All Unicef Countries 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