Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Least developed countries

Least developed countries: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity was 0.8143 GPIA in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
0.8143 GPIA
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
30th
of 36 groups
All-time high
0.8143 GPIA
in 2019
All-time low
0.5682 GPIA
in 1981
Years of data
39
1981–2019

Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Least developed countries, 1981–2019

00.20.40.60.81981200020191981: 0.568 GPIA1982: 0.572 GPIA1983: 0.577 GPIA1984: 0.583 GPIA1985: 0.589 GPIA1986: 0.595 GPIA1987: 0.602 GPIA1988: 0.604 GPIA1989: 0.609 GPIA1990: 0.616 GPIA1991: 0.623 GPIA1992: 0.626 GPIA1993: 0.632 GPIA1994: 0.643 GPIA1995: 0.652 GPIA1996: 0.66 GPIA1997: 0.67 GPIA1998: 0.678 GPIA1999: 0.685 GPIA2000: 0.697 GPIA2001: 0.71 GPIA2002: 0.698 GPIA2003: 0.706 GPIA2004: 0.71 GPIA2005: 0.717 GPIA2006: 0.714 GPIA2007: 0.734 GPIA2008: 0.733 GPIA2009: 0.737 GPIA2010: 0.744 GPIA2011: 0.75 GPIA2012: 0.758 GPIA2013: 0.768 GPIA2014: 0.773 GPIA2015: 0.784 GPIA2016: 0.795 GPIA2017: 0.803 GPIA2018: 0.809 GPIA2019: 0.814 GPIA

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.

Analysis

In 2019, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Least developed countries stood at 0.8143 GPIA. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.

The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Least developed countries peaked at 0.8143 GPIA in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.5682 GPIA, in 1981.

That places Least developed countries 30th out of 36 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Least developed countries, year by year

Annual values for Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA) in Least developed countries, 1981 to 2019.
Year GPIA Change
1981 0.5682 GPIA
1982 0.5718 GPIA +0.6%
1983 0.5766 GPIA +0.8%
1984 0.5826 GPIA +1.0%
1985 0.5887 GPIA +1.0%
1986 0.595 GPIA +1.1%
1987 0.6019 GPIA +1.2%
1988 0.6038 GPIA +0.3%
1989 0.6087 GPIA +0.8%
1990 0.6165 GPIA +1.3%
1991 0.6227 GPIA +1.0%
1992 0.6261 GPIA +0.5%
1993 0.6319 GPIA +0.9%
1994 0.6428 GPIA +1.7%
1995 0.6518 GPIA +1.4%
1996 0.6603 GPIA +1.3%
1997 0.67 GPIA +1.5%
1998 0.6781 GPIA +1.2%
1999 0.6854 GPIA +1.1%
2000 0.6975 GPIA +1.8%
2001 0.7104 GPIA +1.9%
2002 0.6982 GPIA -1.7%
2003 0.7062 GPIA +1.1%
2004 0.7097 GPIA +0.5%
2005 0.7169 GPIA +1.0%
2006 0.7143 GPIA -0.4%
2007 0.7345 GPIA +2.8%
2008 0.7331 GPIA -0.2%
2009 0.737 GPIA +0.5%
2010 0.7438 GPIA +0.9%
2011 0.75 GPIA +0.8%
2012 0.758 GPIA +1.1%
2013 0.7681 GPIA +1.3%
2014 0.773 GPIA +0.6%
2015 0.7836 GPIA +1.4%
2016 0.7947 GPIA +1.4%
2017 0.8035 GPIA +1.1%
2018 0.8093 GPIA +0.7%
2019 0.8143 GPIA +0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.5886 GPIA 0.5682 GPIA 0.6087 GPIA 9
1990s 0.6486 GPIA 0.6165 GPIA 0.6854 GPIA 10
2000s 0.7158 GPIA 0.6975 GPIA 0.737 GPIA 10
2010s 0.7798 GPIA 0.7438 GPIA 0.8143 GPIA 10

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 27 Greece 0.9887 GPIA compare
  2. 28 Panama 0.9887 GPIA compare
  3. 29 Montenegro 0.9881 GPIA compare
  4. 30 South Africa 0.9861 GPIA compare
  5. 31 Mexico 0.9831 GPIA compare
  6. 32 Brunei Darussalam 0.9821 GPIA compare
  7. 33 Ecuador 0.9819 GPIA compare

See the full ranking of 124 places →

More reference data data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Least developed countries?
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Least developed countries was 0.8143 GPIA in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity recorded in Least developed countries?
The highest recorded value was 0.8143 GPIA in 2019.
What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity recorded in Least developed countries?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5682 GPIA in 1981.
How does Least developed countries rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity?
Least developed countries ranks 30th out of 36 groups with data for 2019.
Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity rising or falling in Least developed countries?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Least developed countries data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/adult-literacy-rate-population-15-years-adjusted-gender-parity-index-gpia/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA)
Unit
GPIA
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
124 places, 2,183 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

The Adjusted Gender Parity Index (GPIA) is calculated by dividing the female value for the indicator by the male value for the indicator. If the resulting value exceeds 1, the ratio is inverted and subtracted from 2. The adjusted gender parity index is symmetrical around 1 and lies in the range 0-2. An adjusted GPI equal to 1 indicates parity between females and males. In general, a value less than 1 indicates disparity in favor of males and a value greater than 1 indicates disparity in favor of females. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute for Statistics: http://uis.unesco.org/