Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in South Asia

South Asia: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female was 39.97 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
39.97 million number
Change on year
up 2.6%
Rank
8th
of 38 groups
All-time high
39.97 million number
in 2019
All-time low
12.34 million number
in 1975
Years of data
45
1975–2019

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in South Asia, 1975–2019

10.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M1975199720191975: 12.3M number1976: 12.8M number1977: 13.2M number1978: 13.6M number1979: 14.1M number1980: 14.5M number1981: 15.0M number1982: 15.4M number1983: 15.9M number1984: 16.3M number1985: 16.7M number1986: 17.3M number1987: 17.6M number1988: 17.6M number1989: 18.1M number1990: 18.5M number1991: 19.2M number1992: 19.8M number1993: 20.4M number1994: 21.1M number1995: 21.8M number1996: 22.6M number1997: 23.4M number1998: 22.8M number1999: 23.6M number2000: 24.5M number2001: 25.5M number2002: 26.3M number2003: 27.3M number2004: 28.2M number2005: 29.5M number2006: 30.6M number2007: 31.8M number2008: 32.2M number2009: 33.1M number2010: 31.6M number2011: 32.5M number2012: 33.5M number2013: 34.4M number2014: 35.0M number2015: 36.1M number2016: 36.9M number2017: 37.9M number2018: 38.9M number2019: 40.0M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

South Asia recorded 39.97 million number for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in 2019. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in South Asia peaked at 39.97 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 12.34 million number, in 1975.

That places South Asia 8th out of 38 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 13.21 million number 12.34 million number 14.05 million number 5
1980s 16.43 million number 14.46 million number 18.06 million number 10
1990s 21.34 million number 18.51 million number 23.63 million number 10
2000s 28.89 million number 24.47 million number 33.06 million number 10
2010s 35.68 million number 31.61 million number 39.97 million number 10

Countries ranked near South Asia

  1. 5 Indonesia 2.95 million number compare
  2. 6 Brazil 2.35 million number compare
  3. 7 Nigeria 2.33 million number compare
  4. 8 Egypt 2.19 million number compare
  5. 9 Iran, Islamic Republic of 1.66 million number compare
  6. 10 Türkiye 1.14 million number compare
  7. 11 Mexico 1.13 million number compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for South Asia

All data for South Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in South Asia?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in South Asia was 39.97 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female recorded in South Asia?
The highest recorded value was 39.97 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female recorded in South Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 12.34 million number in 1975.
How does South Asia rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female?
South Asia ranks 8th out of 38 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female rising or falling in South Asia?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Asia 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 South Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-female-number/south-asia/

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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.