Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central
WB: Africa Western and Central: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 21.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central, 1985–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
WB: Africa Western and Central recorded 21.9% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in 2023. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 54.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central peaked at 21.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 7.6%, in 2000.
WB: Africa Western and Central ranks 190th of 201 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 7.9% | — |
| 1986 | 7.9% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 7.9% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 8.1% | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 8.1% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 8.1% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 8.2% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 8.3% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 8.4% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 8.5% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 8.9% | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 9.2% | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 9.5% | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 9.9% | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 10.1% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 7.6% | -24.7% |
| 2001 | 7.8% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 8.0% | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 8.2% | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 8.6% | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 8.6% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 9.1% | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 10.3% | +13.4% |
| 2008 | 10.7% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 11.6% | +8.7% |
| 2010 | 12.4% | +6.5% |
| 2011 | 13.0% | +5.4% |
| 2012 | 13.7% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 14.2% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 14.2% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 14.8% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 15.5% | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 16.5% | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 20.5% | +24.1% |
| 2019 | 20.9% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 21.3% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 21.5% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 21.7% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 21.9% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.0% | 7.9% | 8.1% | 5 |
| 1990s | 8.9% | 8.1% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.0% | 7.6% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.6% | 12.4% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.6% | 21.3% | 21.9% | 4 |
More education data for WB: Africa Western and Central
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 4.61 million (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 7.4 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.89 million (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.08 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.08 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7294 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.00 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.08 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 18.05 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central was 21.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in WB: Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 21.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in WB: Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.6% in 2000.
- How does WB: Africa Western and Central rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
- WB: Africa Western and Central ranks 190th out of 201 groups with data for 2023.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in WB: Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is up 54.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Africa Western and Central 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