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

World: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes was 160.85 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
160.85 million number
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
1st
of 38 groups
All-time high
167.53 million number
in 2005
All-time low
133.47 million number
in 1984
Years of data
36
1984–2019

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in World, 1984–2019

050.0M100.0M150.0M1984200120191984: 133.5M number1985: 136.2M number1986: 139.5M number1987: 141.1M number1988: 135.4M number1989: 138.1M number1990: 149.4M number1991: 144.4M number1992: 147.6M number1993: 150.4M number1994: 153.6M number1995: 156.5M number1996: 160.1M number1997: 145.6M number1998: 144.5M number1999: 147.5M number2000: 151.3M number2001: 154.9M number2002: 157.6M number2003: 159.0M number2004: 162.2M number2005: 167.5M number2006: 163.8M number2007: 157.8M number2008: 157.2M number2009: 156.4M number2010: 154.1M number2011: 153.1M number2012: 153.6M number2013: 156.0M number2014: 154.8M number2015: 156.3M number2016: 156.6M number2017: 158.9M number2018: 159.7M number2019: 160.8M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in World stood at 160.85 million number.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in World peaked at 167.53 million number in 2005 and was at its lowest, 133.47 million number, in 1984.

That places World 1st out of 38 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 137.30 million number 133.47 million number 141.05 million number 6
1990s 149.97 million number 144.44 million number 160.05 million number 10
2000s 158.78 million number 151.27 million number 167.53 million number 10
2010s 156.39 million number 153.10 million number 160.85 million number 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 India 45.66 million number compare
  2. 2 China 23.46 million number compare
  3. 3 Pakistan 6.75 million number compare
  4. 4 Bangladesh 5.16 million number compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in World?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in World was 160.85 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 167.53 million number in 2005.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 133.47 million number in 1984.
How does World rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes?
World ranks 1st out of 38 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this World 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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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.