Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend

Late-demographic dividend: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes was 35.00 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
35.00 million number
Change on year
down 1.2%
Rank
12th
of 37 groups
All-time high
62.14 million number
in 1996
All-time low
35.00 million number
in 2019
Years of data
44
1976–2019

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend, 1976–2019

020.0M40.0M60.0M1976199720191976: 40.9M number1977: 42.5M number1978: 44.1M number1979: 45.9M number1980: 47.4M number1981: 49.2M number1982: 50.7M number1983: 52.3M number1984: 53.9M number1985: 55.4M number1986: 56.8M number1987: 58.2M number1988: 52.0M number1989: 53.2M number1990: 61.5M number1991: 55.5M number1992: 56.8M number1993: 58.2M number1994: 59.5M number1995: 60.8M number1996: 62.1M number1997: 46.2M number1998: 46.6M number1999: 47.7M number2000: 48.8M number2001: 50.0M number2002: 51.0M number2003: 52.0M number2004: 53.2M number2005: 53.9M number2006: 53.3M number2007: 43.5M number2008: 42.6M number2009: 40.6M number2010: 40.2M number2011: 38.6M number2012: 37.8M number2013: 38.3M number2014: 37.4M number2015: 36.8M number2016: 36.3M number2017: 36.0M number2018: 35.4M number2019: 35.0M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend is 35.00 million number, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 44 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend peaked at 62.14 million number in 1996 and was at its lowest, 35.00 million number, in 2019.

That places Late-demographic dividend 12th out of 37 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 43.34 million number 40.85 million number 45.90 million number 4
1980s 52.91 million number 47.36 million number 58.24 million number 10
1990s 55.49 million number 46.16 million number 62.14 million number 10
2000s 48.90 million number 40.65 million number 53.88 million number 10
2010s 37.18 million number 35.00 million number 40.20 million number 10

Countries ranked near Late-demographic dividend

  1. 9 Iran 2.91 million number compare
  2. 10 Algeria 1.79 million number compare
  3. 11 Mexico 1.77 million number compare
  4. 12 Morocco 1.66 million number compare
  5. 13 Thailand 1.56 million number compare
  6. 14 South Africa 1.35 million number compare
  7. 15 Türkiye 1.33 million number compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for Late-demographic dividend

All data for Late-demographic dividend →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend was 35.00 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Late-demographic dividend?
The highest recorded value was 62.14 million number in 1996.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Late-demographic dividend?
The lowest recorded value was 35.00 million number in 2019.
How does Late-demographic dividend rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes?
Late-demographic dividend ranks 12th out of 37 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Late-demographic dividend?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Late-demographic dividend data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-both-sexes-number/late-demographic-dividend/

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About this data

Indicator
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,196 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of adults over age 65 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.