Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa
UNICEF: West and Central Africa: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 24.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, 1985–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa stood at 24.6%. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 54.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa peaked at 24.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 2000.
That places UNICEF: West and Central Africa 179th out of 201 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 7.7% | — |
| 1986 | 7.7% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 7.8% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 7.9% | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 7.9% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 8.0% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 8.1% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 8.2% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 8.2% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 8.6% | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 8.8% | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 9.1% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 9.5% | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 9.7% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 7.7% | -21.1% |
| 2001 | 7.9% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 8.2% | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 8.4% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 8.9% | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 9.0% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 12.1% | +34.6% |
| 2007 | 13.2% | +9.0% |
| 2008 | 13.6% | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 14.5% | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 15.2% | +5.0% |
| 2011 | 14.2% | -6.4% |
| 2012 | 15.0% | +5.2% |
| 2013 | 15.6% | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 15.9% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 16.1% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 16.8% | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 17.9% | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 21.5% | +19.8% |
| 2019 | 22.1% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 22.7% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 23.2% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 23.7% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 24.1% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 24.6% | +1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.8% | 7.7% | 7.9% | 5 |
| 1990s | 8.6% | 7.9% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.3% | 7.7% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.0% | 14.2% | 22.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.7% | 22.7% | 24.6% | 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, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa was 24.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 24.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 2000.
- How does UNICEF: West and Central Africa rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
- UNICEF: West and Central Africa ranks 179th out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 54.6%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release