Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Least developed countries

Least developed countries: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 23.0% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
23.0%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
36th
of 38 countries
All-time high
23.0%
in 2019
All-time low
11.1%
in 1981
Years of data
39
1981–2019

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Least developed countries, 1981–2019

05101520251981200020191981: 11.1 %1982: 11.2 %1983: 11.3 %1984: 11.4 %1985: 11.6 %1986: 11.7 %1987: 11.8 %1988: 12.2 %1989: 12.3 %1990: 12.2 %1991: 12.5 %1992: 12.6 %1993: 12.8 %1994: 13.3 %1995: 14.2 %1996: 14.3 %1997: 14.5 %1998: 16.2 %1999: 16.5 %2000: 16.5 %2001: 16.7 %2002: 16.5 %2003: 16.7 %2004: 16.8 %2005: 16.9 %2006: 18.2 %2007: 16.6 %2008: 20.9 %2009: 21 %2010: 20.9 %2011: 17.9 %2012: 16.7 %2013: 17.5 %2014: 19.6 %2015: 19 %2016: 20.9 %2017: 22.1 %2018: 22.7 %2019: 23 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Least developed countries stood at 23.0%. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 9.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Least developed countries peaked at 23.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 11.1%, in 1981.

That places Least developed countries 36th out of 38 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 11.6% 11.1% 12.3% 9
1990s 13.9% 12.2% 16.5% 10
2000s 17.7% 16.5% 21.0% 10
2010s 20.0% 16.7% 23.0% 10

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 33 Thailand 73.3% compare
  2. 34 Macau, China 72.1% compare
  3. 35 Türkiye 70.4% compare
  4. 36 Ecuador 69.7% compare
  5. 37 Peru 69.2% compare
  6. 38 Paraguay 68.4% compare
  7. 39 Brunei Darussalam 66.8% compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Least developed countries?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Least developed countries was 23.0% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Least developed countries?
The highest recorded value was 23.0% in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Least developed countries?
The lowest recorded value was 11.1% in 1981.
How does Least developed countries rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
Least developed countries ranks 36th out of 38 countries with data for 2019.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in Least developed countries?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Least developed countries data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-female-percent/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

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About this data

Indicator
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
121 places, 2,197 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of females 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 female literates aged 65 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.