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

South Asia: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male was 21.59 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
21.59 million number
Change on year
up 1.2%
Rank
7th
of 37 groups
All-time high
21.59 million number
in 2019
All-time low
9.47 million number
in 1975
Years of data
45
1975–2019

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

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M1975199720191975: 9.5M number1976: 9.8M number1977: 10.1M number1978: 10.4M number1979: 10.7M number1980: 10.9M number1981: 11.3M number1982: 11.6M number1983: 11.9M number1984: 12.2M number1985: 12.5M number1986: 12.9M number1987: 13.0M number1988: 12.6M number1989: 12.8M number1990: 13.0M number1991: 13.5M number1992: 13.9M number1993: 14.3M number1994: 14.8M number1995: 15.2M number1996: 15.7M number1997: 16.0M number1998: 14.4M number1999: 14.7M number2000: 15.0M number2001: 15.5M number2002: 15.9M number2003: 16.3M number2004: 16.7M number2005: 17.6M number2006: 18.0M number2007: 18.4M number2008: 18.8M number2009: 19.2M number2010: 18.3M number2011: 18.9M number2012: 19.2M number2013: 19.7M number2014: 20.1M number2015: 20.4M number2016: 20.4M number2017: 20.9M number2018: 21.3M number2019: 21.6M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male in South Asia stood at 21.59 million number. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male in South Asia peaked at 21.59 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 9.47 million number, in 1975.

That places South Asia 7th out of 37 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.

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male in South Asia, year by year

Annual values for Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male (number) in South Asia, 1975 to 2019.
Year number Change
1975 9.47 million number
1976 9.81 million number +3.5%
1977 10.11 million number +3.1%
1978 10.40 million number +2.9%
1979 10.68 million number +2.6%
1980 10.94 million number +2.5%
1981 11.33 million number +3.5%
1982 11.63 million number +2.7%
1983 11.94 million number +2.6%
1984 12.22 million number +2.4%
1985 12.49 million number +2.2%
1986 12.88 million number +3.1%
1987 13.04 million number +1.2%
1988 12.63 million number -3.1%
1989 12.83 million number +1.6%
1990 13.03 million number +1.6%
1991 13.49 million number +3.5%
1992 13.87 million number +2.8%
1993 14.31 million number +3.2%
1994 14.77 million number +3.2%
1995 15.16 million number +2.7%
1996 15.67 million number +3.3%
1997 16.03 million number +2.3%
1998 14.37 million number -10.4%
1999 14.67 million number +2.1%
2000 14.98 million number +2.1%
2001 15.53 million number +3.7%
2002 15.88 million number +2.3%
2003 16.28 million number +2.6%
2004 16.74 million number +2.8%
2005 17.56 million number +4.9%
2006 17.98 million number +2.4%
2007 18.42 million number +2.5%
2008 18.76 million number +1.8%
2009 19.22 million number +2.4%
2010 18.35 million number -4.5%
2011 18.86 million number +2.8%
2012 19.20 million number +1.8%
2013 19.66 million number +2.4%
2014 20.06 million number +2.1%
2015 20.37 million number +1.5%
2016 20.45 million number +0.4%
2017 20.90 million number +2.2%
2018 21.33 million number +2.0%
2019 21.59 million number +1.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 10.10 million number 9.47 million number 10.68 million number 5
1980s 12.19 million number 10.94 million number 13.04 million number 10
1990s 14.54 million number 13.03 million number 16.03 million number 10
2000s 17.13 million number 14.98 million number 19.22 million number 10
2010s 20.08 million number 18.35 million number 21.59 million number 10

Countries ranked near South Asia

  1. 4 Bangladesh 2.03 million number compare
  2. 5 Brazil 1.66 million number compare
  3. 6 Nigeria 1.53 million number compare
  4. 7 Egypt 1.27 million number compare
  5. 8 Iran, Islamic Republic of 1.25 million number compare
  6. 9 Indonesia 1.09 million number compare
  7. 10 Algeria 684,509 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, male in South Asia?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male in South Asia was 21.59 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male recorded in South Asia?
The highest recorded value was 21.59 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male recorded in South Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 9.47 million number in 1975.
How does South Asia rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male?
South Asia ranks 7th out of 37 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male rising or falling in South Asia?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. 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, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male in South Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-male-number/south-asia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-male-number/south-asia/">Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male in South Asia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
121 places, 2,212 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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