Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female was 13.80 million number in 2019. β–² Rising

Latest (2019)
13.80 million number
Change on year
up 2.3%
Rank
1st
of 1 groups
All-time high
13.80 million number
in 2019
All-time low
6.07 million number
in 1984
Years of data
36
1984–2019

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1984–2019

05.0M10.0M15.0M1984200120191984: 6.1M number1985: 6.2M number1986: 6.4M number1987: 6.6M number1988: 6.8M number1989: 7.0M number1990: 7.2M number1991: 7.5M number1992: 7.7M number1993: 7.9M number1994: 8.1M number1995: 8.3M number1996: 8.5M number1997: 8.7M number1998: 8.9M number1999: 9.1M number2000: 9.4M number2001: 9.6M number2002: 9.8M number2003: 10.0M number2004: 10.2M number2005: 10.4M number2006: 10.0M number2007: 10.6M number2008: 10.7M number2009: 10.7M number2010: 11.0M number2011: 11.3M number2012: 11.7M number2013: 11.9M number2014: 12.1M number2015: 12.4M number2016: 12.7M number2017: 13.3M number2018: 13.5M number2019: 13.8M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 13.80 million number. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 29.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 13.80 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 6.07 million number, in 1984.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 6.51 million number 6.07 million number 6.99 million number 6
1990s 8.17 million number 7.18 million number 9.05 million number 10
2000s 10.14 million number 9.35 million number 10.70 million number 10
2010s 12.36 million number 10.97 million number 13.80 million number 10

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. 1 India 30.25 million number compare
  2. 2 China 18.20 million number compare
  3. 3 Pakistan 3.91 million number compare
  4. 4 Bangladesh 3.14 million number compare

See the full ranking of 121 places β†’

More reference data data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in Sub-Saharan Africa was 13.80 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 13.80 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 6.07 million number in 1984.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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 Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-female-number/sub-saharan-africa/

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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.