Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes was 82.1% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean, 1974–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean stood at 82.1%. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 82.1% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 61.3%, in 1974.
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 11th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 61.3% | — |
| 1975 | 61.3% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 61.3% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 61.3% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 61.3% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 61.3% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 61.4% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 61.8% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 62.3% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 62.8% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 63.3% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 63.7% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 64.1% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 64.5% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 65.6% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 66.0% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 66.1% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 66.4% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 66.9% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 67.4% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 68.0% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 68.6% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 68.8% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 69.4% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 70.5% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 70.8% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 71.1% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 70.9% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 70.2% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 70.9% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 71.4% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 72.5% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 73.3% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 74.2% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 74.3% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 75.1% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 75.1% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 76.1% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 77.5% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 77.7% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 78.6% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 79.0% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 80.3% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 80.8% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 81.4% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 82.1% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 61.3% | 61.3% | 61.3% | 6 |
| 1980s | 63.6% | 61.4% | 66.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 68.3% | 66.1% | 70.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.4% | 70.2% | 75.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.9% | 75.1% | 82.1% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 8 Republic of Moldova 97.1% compare
- 9 Montenegro 96.9% compare
- 10 Grenada 96.2% compare
- 11 Spain 95.2% compare
- 12 Greece 95.2% compare
- 13 Philippines 94.3% compare
- 14 Albania 93.4% compare
More reference data data for Latin America & Caribbean
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 10.44 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 6.16 years (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 5.33 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 5.11 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, male 6.21 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, female 6.12 years (2019)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 87.4% (2019)
- School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes 2.09 years (2019)
- Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, adjusted gender parity 1.23 GPIA (2019)
- Teachers in primary education, male 685,896 number (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean was 82.1% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 82.1% in 2019.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.3% in 1974.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 11th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the population age 65 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of literates aged 65 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.