Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female (number) (female) in Least developed countries

Least developed countries: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female (number) (female) was 15.53 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
15.53 million number
Change on year
up 2.7%
Rank
17th
of 39 groups
All-time high
15.53 million number
in 2019
All-time low
5.86 million number
in 1981
Years of data
39
1981–2019

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in Least developed countries, 1981–2019

05.0M10.0M15.0M1981200020191981: 5.9M number1982: 6.0M number1983: 6.2M number1984: 6.3M number1985: 6.4M number1986: 6.6M number1987: 6.8M number1988: 7.0M number1989: 7.2M number1990: 7.4M number1991: 7.6M number1992: 7.9M number1993: 8.1M number1994: 8.3M number1995: 8.5M number1996: 8.8M number1997: 9.0M number1998: 9.1M number1999: 9.4M number2000: 9.6M number2001: 9.9M number2002: 10.2M number2003: 10.5M number2004: 10.8M number2005: 11.0M number2006: 11.2M number2007: 11.8M number2008: 11.5M number2009: 11.8M number2010: 12.1M number2011: 13.0M number2012: 13.6M number2013: 13.9M number2014: 13.9M number2015: 14.5M number2016: 14.6M number2017: 14.8M number2018: 15.1M number2019: 15.5M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Least developed countries recorded 15.53 million number for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in 2019. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.

The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 31.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in Least developed countries peaked at 15.53 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 5.86 million number, in 1981.

That places Least developed countries 17th out of 39 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female (number) (female) in Least developed countries, year by year

Annual values for Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female (number) in Least developed countries, 1981 to 2019.
Year number Change
1981 5.86 million number —
1982 6.01 million number +2.6%
1983 6.16 million number +2.4%
1984 6.30 million number +2.2%
1985 6.43 million number +2.1%
1986 6.63 million number +3.1%
1987 6.83 million number +3.0%
1988 7.00 million number +2.5%
1989 7.20 million number +2.8%
1990 7.40 million number +2.8%
1991 7.64 million number +3.2%
1992 7.88 million number +3.2%
1993 8.11 million number +3.0%
1994 8.31 million number +2.4%
1995 8.48 million number +2.1%
1996 8.76 million number +3.3%
1997 9.02 million number +3.0%
1998 9.11 million number +1.0%
1999 9.36 million number +2.7%
2000 9.63 million number +2.9%
2001 9.91 million number +3.0%
2002 10.23 million number +3.2%
2003 10.48 million number +2.5%
2004 10.75 million number +2.6%
2005 11.03 million number +2.6%
2006 11.19 million number +1.5%
2007 11.76 million number +5.1%
2008 11.49 million number -2.3%
2009 11.79 million number +2.6%
2010 12.15 million number +3.0%
2011 13.01 million number +7.1%
2012 13.62 million number +4.7%
2013 13.89 million number +2.0%
2014 13.93 million number +0.3%
2015 14.45 million number +3.7%
2016 14.56 million number +0.8%
2017 14.78 million number +1.5%
2018 15.12 million number +2.3%
2019 15.53 million number +2.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 6.49 million number 5.86 million number 7.20 million number 9
1990s 8.41 million number 7.40 million number 9.36 million number 10
2000s 10.83 million number 9.63 million number 11.79 million number 10
2010s 14.10 million number 12.15 million number 15.53 million number 10

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 14 Morocco 1.09 million number compare
  2. 15 South Africa 874,905 number compare
  3. 16 Vietnam 834,804 number compare
  4. 17 Nepal 799,830 number compare
  5. 18 Tanzania 538,081 number compare
  6. 19 Mozambique 435,883 number compare
  7. 20 Peru 425,601 number compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in Least developed countries?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in Least developed countries was 15.53 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female recorded in Least developed countries?
The highest recorded value was 15.53 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female recorded in Least developed countries?
The lowest recorded value was 5.86 million number in 1981.
How does Least developed countries rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female?
Least developed countries ranks 17th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female rising or falling in Least developed countries?
Over the last ten years it is up 31.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Least developed countries data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-female-number/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

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About this data

Indicator
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
121 places, 2,221 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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