Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Portugal

Portugal: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes was 263,577 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
263,577 number
World rank
39th
of 82 countries
All-time high
614,920 number
in 1981
All-time low
263,577 number
in 2018
Years of data
5
1981–2018

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Portugal, 1981–2018

0200.0k400.0k600.0k1981199920181981: 614.9k number1991: 539.1k number2001: 579.2k number2011: 393.0k number2018: 263.6k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Portugal stood at 263,577 number. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 32.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Portugal peaked at 614,920 number in 1981 and was at its lowest, 263,577 number, in 2018.

That places Portugal 39th out of 82 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 614,920 number 614,920 number 614,920 number 1
1990s 539,131 number 539,131 number 539,131 number 1
2000s 579,213 number 579,213 number 579,213 number 1
2010s 328,286 number 263,577 number 392,994 number 2

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 36 Cambodia 300,815 number compare
  2. 37 Malawi 290,410 number compare
  3. 38 Philippines 266,943 number compare
  4. 40 Rwanda 254,335 number compare
  5. 41 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 240,524 number compare
  6. 42 Venezuela, República Bolivariana de 236,128 number compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Portugal?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Portugal was 263,577 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 614,920 number in 1981.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 263,577 number in 2018.
How does Portugal rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes?
Portugal ranks 39th out of 82 countries with data for 2018.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is down 32.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Portugal 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 — 5 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 Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-both-sexes-number/portugal/

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/portugal/">Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Portugal</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.