Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in SDG: Least Developed Countries
SDG: Least Developed Countries: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 56.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in SDG: Least Developed Countries, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in SDG: Least Developed Countries is 56.8%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 23.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in SDG: Least Developed Countries peaked at 56.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 23.8%, in 1981.
SDG: Least Developed Countries ranks 173rd of 203 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in SDG: Least Developed Countries, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 23.8% | — |
| 1982 | 24.2% | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 24.5% | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 25.0% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 25.4% | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 25.9% | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 26.5% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 27.2% | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 27.8% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 28.4% | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 29.0% | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 29.5% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 30.1% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 31.0% | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 32.1% | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 32.8% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 33.7% | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 35.7% | +5.8% |
| 1999 | 36.5% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 37.3% | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 38.2% | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 38.3% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 39.1% | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 39.7% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 40.2% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 37.9% | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 39.0% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 39.4% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 40.0% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 42.3% | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 44.2% | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 43.3% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 45.1% | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 46.1% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 48.7% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 51.2% | +5.1% |
| 2017 | 52.4% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 53.2% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 53.7% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 54.1% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 54.9% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 55.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 56.2% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 56.8% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 25.6% | 23.8% | 27.8% | 9 |
| 1990s | 31.9% | 28.4% | 36.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 38.9% | 37.3% | 40.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.0% | 42.3% | 53.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.5% | 54.1% | 56.8% | 5 |
More education data for SDG: Least Developed Countries
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.81 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 12.39 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 87.82 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.9918 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 75.92 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.7503 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.43 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 39.55 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.7518 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 36.37 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in SDG: Least Developed Countries?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in SDG: Least Developed Countries was 56.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in SDG: Least Developed Countries?
- The highest recorded value was 56.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in SDG: Least Developed Countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.8% in 1981.
- How does SDG: Least Developed Countries rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- SDG: Least Developed Countries ranks 173rd out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in SDG: Least Developed Countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this SDG: Least Developed Countries data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release