Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
84
Highest
1.43 GPIA
Lesotho
Lowest
0.07 GPIA
Sierra Leone
Median
0.79 GPIA
Years covered
55
1970–2024
Data points
9,465
What the numbers show
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA) is currently reported for 84 countries. The highest value is 1.43 GPIA in Lesotho; the lowest is 0.07 GPIA in Sierra Leone.
The median across all reporting countries is 0.79 GPIA, and the mean is 0.7034 GPIA.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 20.
Over the past decade 60 countries rose and 18 fell. The largest increase was in Burkina Faso (up 260.3%), and the largest decrease in Sierra Leone (down 70.8%).
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, adjusted gender parity: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesotho | 1.43 GPIA | 2024 | up 41.6% | rising |
| 2 | Thailand | 1.04 GPIA | 2022 | up 19.5% | rising |
| 3 | Colombia | 1.01 GPIA | 2024 | up 2.0% | rising |
| 3 | Uruguay | 1.01 GPIA | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Armenia | 1 GPIA | 2023 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 5 | Philippines | 1 GPIA | 2020 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 5 | Uzbekistan | 1 GPIA | 2022 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Azerbaijan | 0.99 GPIA | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Brazil | 0.99 GPIA | 2024 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 8 | Dominican Republic | 0.99 GPIA | 2024 | up 2.1% | rising |
| 8 | Spain | 0.99 GPIA | 2021 | up 4.2% | rising |
| 8 | Georgia | 0.99 GPIA | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 8 | Honduras | 0.99 GPIA | 2024 | up 7.6% | rising |
| 8 | Mongolia | 0.99 GPIA | 2024 | up 4.2% | rising |
| 8 | Tonga | 0.99 GPIA | 2023 | down 1.0% | rising |
| 16 | Chile | 0.9881 GPIA | 2022 | up 0.8% | flat |
| 17 | Panama | 0.9825 GPIA | 2024 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 18 | Serbia | 0.98 GPIA | 2022 | up 8.9% | rising |
| 19 | Maldives | 0.97 GPIA | 2019 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 19 | Montenegro | 0.97 GPIA | 2018 | up 6.6% | rising |
| 19 | Samoa | 0.97 GPIA | 2019 | down 3.0% | flat |
| 22 | Nicaragua | 0.966 GPIA | 2014 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 23 | Albania | 0.96 GPIA | 2023 | up 5.5% | rising |
| 24 | Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 0.9501 GPIA | 2017 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 25 | Mexico | 0.93 GPIA | 2024 | up 2.2% | rising |
| 26 | Sri Lanka | 0.92 GPIA | 2024 | up 5.3% | rising |
| 26 | Paraguay | 0.92 GPIA | 2024 | down 1.1% | rising |
| 28 | Ecuador | 0.91 GPIA | 2024 | up 3.4% | rising |
| 28 | Qatar | 0.91 GPIA | 2024 | up 35.8% | rising |
| 28 | Viet Nam | 0.91 GPIA | 2022 | up 23.0% | rising |
| 31 | Saudi Arabia | 0.88 GPIA | 2024 | up 57.1% | volatile |
| 32 | United Arab Emirates | 0.87 GPIA | 2024 | up 4.8% | rising |
| 32 | China | 0.87 GPIA | 2020 | up 19.2% | volatile |
| 34 | Singapore | 0.86 GPIA | 2020 | up 22.9% | rising |
| 34 | El Salvador | 0.86 GPIA | 2024 | down 0.1% | rising |
| 34 | South Africa | 0.86 GPIA | 2024 | down 1.1% | falling |
| 37 | Malaysia | 0.85 GPIA | 2022 | up 44.1% | rising |
| 38 | Namibia | 0.84 GPIA | 2023 | down 10.6% | rising |
| 39 | Indonesia | 0.82 GPIA | 2020 | up 15.5% | rising |
| 39 | Türkiye | 0.82 GPIA | 2021 | up 22.4% | rising |
| 41 | Mauritius | 0.819 GPIA | 2023 | up 17.0% | rising |
| 42 | Bahrain | 0.79 GPIA | 2024 | — | rising |
| 42 | Macau, China | 0.79 GPIA | 2016 | up 43.6% | rising |
| 44 | Peru | 0.77 GPIA | 2024 | up 8.5% | rising |
| 45 | Myanmar | 0.75 GPIA | 2019 | down 3.8% | rising |
| 46 | Cameroon | 0.74 GPIA | 2018 | up 236.4% | volatile |
| 47 | Palestine, State of | 0.7399 GPIA | 2024 | up 60.8% | rising |
| 48 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 0.73 GPIA | 2024 | up 24.4% | rising |
| 48 | Guatemala | 0.73 GPIA | 2024 | up 9.0% | rising |
| 50 | Oman | 0.71 GPIA | 2022 | up 136.7% | flat |
| 51 | Jordan | 0.69 GPIA | 2024 | down 17.9% | rising |
| 52 | Kuwait | 0.66 GPIA | 2020 | up 29.4% | rising |
| 53 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 0.5788 GPIA | 2023 | up 20.6% | rising |
| 54 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 0.57 GPIA | 2022 | up 11.8% | rising |
| 55 | Bangladesh | 0.54 GPIA | 2022 | up 50.0% | rising |
| 55 | Rwanda | 0.54 GPIA | 2022 | up 68.8% | volatile |
| 57 | Uganda | 0.53 GPIA | 2024 | up 51.4% | rising |
| 58 | Côte d'Ivoire | 0.52 GPIA | 2021 | up 26.8% | rising |
| 59 | India | 0.5119 GPIA | 2024 | up 23.0% | rising |
| 60 | Burkina Faso | 0.5044 GPIA | 2023 | up 260.3% | rising |
| 61 | Sao Tome and Principe | 0.5 GPIA | 2019 | up 22.0% | rising |
| 62 | Nigeria | 0.49 GPIA | 2024 | up 14.0% | rising |
| 62 | Tunisia | 0.49 GPIA | 2023 | up 81.5% | rising |
| 64 | Cape Verde | 0.47 GPIA | 2024 | up 20.5% | rising |
| 65 | Burundi | 0.4668 GPIA | 2020 | down 6.6% | rising |
| 66 | Egypt | 0.4547 GPIA | 2022 | down 34.1% | rising |
| 67 | Togo | 0.42 GPIA | 2022 | up 35.5% | rising |
| 68 | Benin | 0.38 GPIA | 2022 | up 18.8% | rising |
| 68 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 0.38 GPIA | 2023 | up 35.7% | rising |
| 70 | Zambia | 0.36 GPIA | 2024 | down 43.8% | rising |
| 71 | Pakistan | 0.32 GPIA | 2021 | up 10.3% | rising |
| 72 | Ethiopia | 0.3 GPIA | 2022 | up 63.9% | flat |
| 72 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 0.3 GPIA | 2023 | down 50.0% | rising |
| 74 | Mali | 0.29 GPIA | 2024 | up 123.1% | rising |
| 75 | Guinea | 0.28 GPIA | 2018 | up 86.7% | rising |
| 76 | Mozambique | 0.274 GPIA | 2022 | up 61.2% | rising |
| 77 | Morocco | 0.26 GPIA | 2014 | up 85.7% | rising |
| 78 | Cambodia | 0.25 GPIA | 2021 | down 32.4% | rising |
| 78 | Senegal | 0.25 GPIA | 2023 | up 31.6% | rising |
| 80 | Malawi | 0.24 GPIA | 2020 | — | rising |
| 81 | Niger | 0.2 GPIA | 2022 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 82 | Nepal | 0.16 GPIA | 2019 | up 80.2% | falling |
| 83 | Afghanistan | 0.09 GPIA | 2021 | down 10.0% | rising |
| 84 | Sierra Leone | 0.07 GPIA | 2019 | down 70.8% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- WB: Caribbean Small States 1.04 GPIA
- ECE: Cis (cwg) (unsdcode:98201) 1 GPIA
- ECE: Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (cis) (unsdcode:98202) 1 GPIA
- ECE: Eurasian Economic Union (eaeu) (unsdcode:98206) 1 GPIA
- ECLAC: Carribean (unsdcode:98301) 1 GPIA
- ESCAP: North America (nam) (unsdcode:98425) 1 GPIA
- ESCAP: North and Central Asia (nca) (unsdcode:98417) 1 GPIA
- GPE: Europe & Central Asia Wb Fy24, December 2024 1 GPIA
- SDG: Northern America 1 GPIA
- UNICEF: North America 1 GPIA
- WB: Central Europe and the Baltics 1 GPIA
- WB: North America 1 GPIA
- AIMS: Central Asia 0.99 GPIA
- MDG: Caucasus and Central Asia 0.99 GPIA
- SDG: Central Asia 0.99 GPIA
- SDG: Europe and Northern America 0.99 GPIA
- UIS: Central Asia 0.99 GPIA
- ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200) 0.98 GPIA
- MDG: Caribbean 0.98 GPIA
- UIS: Central and Eastern Europe 0.98 GPIA
- UNICEF: Central and Eastern Europe/commonwealth of Independent States 0.98 GPIA
- UNICEF: Eastern Europe and Central Asia 0.98 GPIA
- WB: Europe & Central Asia (ida & Ibrd) 0.98 GPIA
- MDG: Eastern Asia (excluding China) 0.97 GPIA
- ECE: West Balkans (st7) (unsdcode:98205) 0.96 GPIA
- ECLAC: All Countries (unsdcode:98300) 0.96 GPIA
- ECLAC: Latin America (unsdcode:98302) 0.96 GPIA
- ESCAP: Latin America (lac) (unsdcode:98424) 0.96 GPIA
- MDG: Latin America 0.96 GPIA
- MDG: Latin America and the Caribbean 0.96 GPIA
- SDG: Latin America and the Caribbean 0.96 GPIA
- UIS: Latin America and the Caribbean 0.96 GPIA
- UNICEF: Europe and Central Asia Programme Countries 0.96 GPIA
- UNICEF: Latin America and Caribbean 0.96 GPIA
- WB: Latin America & Caribbean 0.96 GPIA
- WB: Latin America & Caribbean (ida & Ibrd) 0.96 GPIA
- WB: Latin America & Caribbean (excluding High Income) 0.96 GPIA
- SDG: Small Island Developing States 0.95 GPIA
- UNESCO: Sids 0.95 GPIA
- UNICEF: Western Balkans 0.95 GPIA
About this data
February 2026 Data Release