Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: South Asia
WB: South Asia: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 32.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: South Asia, 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
WB: South Asia recorded 32.1% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 17.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: South Asia peaked at 32.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.6%, in 1975.
WB: South Asia ranks 128th of 201 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: South Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 8.6% | — |
| 1976 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 8.6% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 8.6% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 8.6% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 8.7% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 8.7% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 9.4% | +8.3% |
| 1988 | 12.5% | +33.5% |
| 1989 | 12.7% | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 12.9% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 13.1% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 13.2% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 13.3% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 13.4% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 13.5% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 13.7% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 14.1% | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 20.1% | +42.6% |
| 1999 | 20.2% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 20.4% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 20.6% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 20.6% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 20.7% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 19.2% | -7.4% |
| 2006 | 18.2% | -5.4% |
| 2007 | 18.4% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 18.6% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 18.8% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 26.3% | +39.5% |
| 2011 | 26.6% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 26.1% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 26.7% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 27.4% | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 28.0% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 29.1% | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 29.9% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 30.6% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 29.0% | -5.4% |
| 2020 | 29.5% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 30.2% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 31.2% | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 31.7% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 32.1% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8.6% | 8.6% | 8.6% | 5 |
| 1980s | 9.5% | 8.6% | 12.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.8% | 12.9% | 20.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.6% | 18.2% | 20.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.9% | 26.1% | 30.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.0% | 29.5% | 32.1% | 5 |
More education data for WB: South Asia
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 4.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate -1.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 74.44 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 3.24 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.84 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -2.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 152.88 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77.39 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 160.82 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 4.5 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: South Asia?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in WB: South Asia was 32.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in WB: South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 32.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in WB: South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.6% in 1975.
- How does WB: South Asia rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
- WB: South Asia ranks 128th out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in WB: South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: South Asia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release