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

Pre-demographic dividend: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes was 17.37 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
17.37 million number
Change on year
up 2.1%
Rank
20th
of 37 groups
All-time high
17.37 million number
in 2019
All-time low
9.12 million number
in 1986
Years of data
34
1986–2019

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Pre-demographic dividend, 1986–2019

05.0M10.0M15.0M1986200220191986: 9.1M number1987: 9.4M number1988: 9.6M number1989: 9.8M number1990: 10.0M number1991: 10.3M number1992: 10.5M number1993: 10.8M number1994: 11.0M number1995: 11.3M number1996: 11.5M number1997: 11.7M number1998: 11.8M number1999: 11.9M number2000: 12.3M number2001: 12.5M number2002: 12.7M number2003: 13.0M number2004: 13.1M number2005: 13.3M number2006: 12.6M number2007: 13.7M number2008: 13.7M number2009: 13.9M number2010: 14.2M number2011: 14.7M number2012: 15.1M number2013: 15.3M number2014: 15.6M number2015: 16.1M number2016: 16.4M number2017: 16.7M number2018: 17.0M number2019: 17.4M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Pre-demographic dividend recorded 17.37 million number for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in 2019. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 24.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Pre-demographic dividend peaked at 17.37 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 9.12 million number, in 1986.

That places Pre-demographic dividend 20th out of 37 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 9.45 million number 9.12 million number 9.78 million number 4
1990s 11.08 million number 10.02 million number 11.91 million number 10
2000s 13.09 million number 12.31 million number 13.94 million number 10
2010s 15.85 million number 14.23 million number 17.37 million number 10

Countries ranked near Pre-demographic dividend

  1. 17 Least developed countries 23.94 million number compare
  2. 17 Vietnam 984,040 number compare
  3. 18 Tanzania, United Republic of 760,646 number compare
  4. 19 Colombia 702,477 number compare
  5. 20 Mozambique, Republic of 592,436 number compare
  6. 21 Côte d'Ivoire 556,120 number compare
  7. 22 Peru 539,001 number compare
  8. 23 Malaysia 514,298 number compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for Pre-demographic dividend

All data for Pre-demographic dividend →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Pre-demographic dividend?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Pre-demographic dividend was 17.37 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Pre-demographic dividend?
The highest recorded value was 17.37 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Pre-demographic dividend?
The lowest recorded value was 9.12 million number in 1986.
How does Pre-demographic dividend rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes?
Pre-demographic dividend ranks 20th out of 37 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Pre-demographic dividend?
Over the last ten years it is up 24.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Pre-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 Pre-demographic dividend. 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/pre-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.