Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: West and Central Africa
UNICEF: West and Central Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes was 37.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, 1985–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: West and Central Africa is 37.2%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 29.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: West and Central Africa peaked at 37.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 16.1%, in 1985.
UNICEF: West and Central Africa ranks 183rd of 201 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 16.1% | — |
| 1986 | 16.1% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 16.2% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 16.6% | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 16.8% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 17.0% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 17.3% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 17.5% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 17.7% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 17.9% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 18.3% | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 18.8% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 19.5% | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 20.5% | +5.1% |
| 1999 | 21.1% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 18.9% | -10.6% |
| 2001 | 19.5% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 20.0% | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 20.5% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 21.3% | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 21.4% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 23.8% | +10.9% |
| 2007 | 24.0% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 24.6% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 25.7% | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 26.4% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 26.7% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 27.6% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 28.4% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 28.8% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 29.0% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 29.8% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 31.1% | +4.1% |
| 2018 | 34.7% | +11.6% |
| 2019 | 35.1% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 35.6% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 36.0% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 36.4% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 36.9% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 37.2% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.4% | 16.1% | 16.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 18.6% | 17.0% | 21.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.0% | 18.9% | 25.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.8% | 26.4% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.4% | 35.6% | 37.2% | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: West and Central Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 4.92 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 20.41 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.9224 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 22.91 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.5411 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 8.34 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.9535 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.20 million (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.46 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.73 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: West and Central Africa was 37.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 37.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.1% in 1985.
- How does UNICEF: West and Central Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes?
- UNICEF: West and Central Africa ranks 183rd out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: West and Central Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release