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

Sub-Saharan Africa: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male was 7.40 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
7.40 million number
Change on year
up 2.0%
Rank
17th
of 37 groups
All-time high
7.40 million number
in 2019
All-time low
4.02 million number
in 1984
Years of data
36
1984–2019

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

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M1984200120191984: 4.0M number1985: 4.1M number1986: 4.2M number1987: 4.4M number1988: 4.5M number1989: 4.6M number1990: 4.7M number1991: 4.9M number1992: 5.0M number1993: 5.1M number1994: 5.2M number1995: 5.3M number1996: 5.4M number1997: 5.5M number1998: 5.5M number1999: 5.5M number2000: 5.7M number2001: 5.7M number2002: 5.8M number2003: 5.9M number2004: 5.8M number2005: 5.8M number2006: 5.7M number2007: 6.1M number2008: 6.1M number2009: 6.0M number2010: 6.2M number2011: 6.3M number2012: 6.5M number2013: 6.5M number2014: 6.6M number2015: 6.7M number2016: 6.8M number2017: 7.2M number2018: 7.3M number2019: 7.4M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 7.40 million number for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male in 2019. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 22.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 7.40 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4.02 million number, in 1984.

That places Sub-Saharan Africa 17th out of 37 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male (number) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1984 to 2019.
Year number Change
1984 4.02 million number
1985 4.11 million number +2.2%
1986 4.25 million number +3.3%
1987 4.37 million number +2.8%
1988 4.48 million number +2.5%
1989 4.58 million number +2.3%
1990 4.69 million number +2.5%
1991 4.91 million number +4.7%
1992 5.01 million number +1.9%
1993 5.10 million number +1.9%
1994 5.23 million number +2.5%
1995 5.30 million number +1.4%
1996 5.40 million number +1.9%
1997 5.46 million number +1.0%
1998 5.47 million number +0.3%
1999 5.50 million number +0.5%
2000 5.68 million number +3.2%
2001 5.74 million number +1.1%
2002 5.82 million number +1.5%
2003 5.88 million number +1.0%
2004 5.82 million number -1.1%
2005 5.83 million number +0.1%
2006 5.66 million number -2.8%
2007 6.10 million number +7.7%
2008 6.07 million number -0.5%
2009 6.03 million number -0.7%
2010 6.16 million number +2.2%
2011 6.27 million number +1.8%
2012 6.45 million number +2.9%
2013 6.49 million number +0.6%
2014 6.59 million number +1.4%
2015 6.73 million number +2.3%
2016 6.82 million number +1.3%
2017 7.16 million number +5.0%
2018 7.26 million number +1.4%
2019 7.40 million number +2.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 4.30 million number 4.02 million number 4.58 million number 6
1990s 5.21 million number 4.69 million number 5.50 million number 10
2000s 5.86 million number 5.66 million number 6.10 million number 10
2010s 6.73 million number 6.16 million number 7.40 million number 10

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. 14 Thailand 466,511 number compare
  2. 15 Nepal 429,157 number compare
  3. 16 Colombia 309,448 number compare
  4. 17 Côte d'Ivoire 261,729 number compare
  5. 18 Tanzania, United Republic of 222,565 number compare
  6. 19 Türkiye 194,627 number compare
  7. 20 Tunisia 166,978 number compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male in Sub-Saharan Africa was 7.40 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 7.40 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 4.02 million number in 1984.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 17th out of 37 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.9%. 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, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, male in Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-male-number/sub-saharan-africa/

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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.