Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes was 14.07 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
14.07 million number
Change on year
up 2.3%
Rank
23rd
of 38 groups
All-time high
14.07 million number
in 2019
All-time low
4.88 million number
in 1974
Years of data
46
1974–2019

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1974–2019

4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M12.0M14.0M197419962019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan stood at 14.07 million number. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.

The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 19.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 14.07 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4.88 million number, in 1974.

That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 23rd out of 38 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year

Annual values for Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes (number) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1974 to 2019.
Year number Change
1974 4.88 million number
1975 5.00 million number +2.4%
1976 5.14 million number +2.8%
1977 5.26 million number +2.2%
1978 5.37 million number +2.1%
1979 5.48 million number +2.1%
1980 5.59 million number +2.1%
1981 5.75 million number +2.7%
1982 5.90 million number +2.7%
1983 6.06 million number +2.7%
1984 6.24 million number +3.0%
1985 6.43 million number +3.1%
1986 6.67 million number +3.6%
1987 6.90 million number +3.5%
1988 7.14 million number +3.5%
1989 7.40 million number +3.5%
1990 7.57 million number +2.4%
1991 7.88 million number +4.1%
1992 8.18 million number +3.8%
1993 8.51 million number +4.0%
1994 8.82 million number +3.6%
1995 9.14 million number +3.7%
1996 9.44 million number +3.3%
1997 9.73 million number +3.1%
1998 9.98 million number +2.6%
1999 10.25 million number +2.7%
2000 10.51 million number +2.6%
2001 10.72 million number +2.0%
2002 10.88 million number +1.5%
2003 10.29 million number -5.5%
2004 10.53 million number +2.3%
2005 11.57 million number +9.9%
2006 11.70 million number +1.2%
2007 11.80 million number +0.8%
2008 11.97 million number +1.4%
2009 11.82 million number -1.2%
2010 11.98 million number +1.3%
2011 11.93 million number -0.4%
2012 12.09 million number +1.3%
2013 12.31 million number +1.9%
2014 12.15 million number -1.4%
2015 12.38 million number +2.0%
2016 13.26 million number +7.1%
2017 13.43 million number +1.3%
2018 13.75 million number +2.4%
2019 14.07 million number +2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.19 million number 4.88 million number 5.48 million number 6
1980s 6.41 million number 5.59 million number 7.40 million number 10
1990s 8.95 million number 7.57 million number 10.25 million number 10
2000s 11.18 million number 10.29 million number 11.97 million number 10
2010s 12.73 million number 11.93 million number 14.07 million number 10

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

  1. 20 Mozambique 592,436 number compare
  2. 21 Côte d'Ivoire 556,120 number compare
  3. 22 Peru 539,001 number compare
  4. 23 Malaysia 514,298 number compare
  5. 24 Tunisia 513,126 number compare
  6. 25 Uganda 480,705 number compare
  7. 26 Sri Lanka 468,087 number compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 14.07 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 14.07 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 4.88 million number in 1974.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 23rd out of 38 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-both-sexes-number/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-both-sexes-number/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/">Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan</a> — Statizoid

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.