Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in World

World: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female was 108.86 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
108.86 million number
Change on year
up 0.9%
Rank
1st
of 39 groups
All-time high
113.32 million number
in 2005
All-time low
87.68 million number
in 1984
Years of data
36
1984–2019

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

025.0M50.0M75.0M100.0M125.0M1984200120191984: 87.7M number1985: 89.5M number1986: 91.5M number1987: 92.6M number1988: 90.7M number1989: 92.5M number1990: 98.0M number1991: 96.5M number1992: 98.5M number1993: 100.2M number1994: 102.2M number1995: 104.0M number1996: 106.3M number1997: 97.3M number1998: 97.3M number1999: 99.5M number2000: 101.9M number2001: 104.3M number2002: 106.3M number2003: 107.7M number2004: 109.9M number2005: 113.3M number2006: 111.0M number2007: 106.7M number2008: 106.3M number2009: 105.4M number2010: 104.0M number2011: 103.2M number2012: 103.5M number2013: 105.1M number2014: 104.0M number2015: 105.6M number2016: 105.8M number2017: 107.4M number2018: 107.9M number2019: 108.9M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in World is 108.86 million number, measured in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in World peaked at 113.32 million number in 2005 and was at its lowest, 87.68 million number, in 1984.

World ranks 1st of 39 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in World, year by year

Annual values for Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female (number) in World, 1984 to 2019.
Year number Change
1984 87.68 million number
1985 89.45 million number +2.0%
1986 91.51 million number +2.3%
1987 92.56 million number +1.1%
1988 90.67 million number -2.0%
1989 92.55 million number +2.1%
1990 98.03 million number +5.9%
1991 96.55 million number -1.5%
1992 98.51 million number +2.0%
1993 100.20 million number +1.7%
1994 102.16 million number +2.0%
1995 104.02 million number +1.8%
1996 106.29 million number +2.2%
1997 97.30 million number -8.5%
1998 97.30 million number -0.0%
1999 99.47 million number +2.2%
2000 101.93 million number +2.5%
2001 104.35 million number +2.4%
2002 106.32 million number +1.9%
2003 107.65 million number +1.3%
2004 109.88 million number +2.1%
2005 113.32 million number +3.1%
2006 111.00 million number -2.0%
2007 106.72 million number -3.9%
2008 106.29 million number -0.4%
2009 105.45 million number -0.8%
2010 103.95 million number -1.4%
2011 103.19 million number -0.7%
2012 103.53 million number +0.3%
2013 105.14 million number +1.6%
2014 103.95 million number -1.1%
2015 105.64 million number +1.6%
2016 105.81 million number +0.2%
2017 107.44 million number +1.5%
2018 107.88 million number +0.4%
2019 108.86 million number +0.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 90.74 million number 87.68 million number 92.56 million number 6
1990s 99.98 million number 96.55 million number 106.29 million number 10
2000s 107.29 million number 101.93 million number 113.32 million number 10
2010s 105.54 million number 103.19 million number 108.86 million number 10

Countries ranked near World

  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 →

More reference data data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in World?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in World was 108.86 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 113.32 million number in 2005.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 87.68 million number in 1984.
How does World rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female?
World ranks 1st out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. 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, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, female in World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-female-number/world/

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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.