Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Low & middle income

Low & middle income: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 63.9% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
63.9%
Change on year
up 1.7%
Rank
19th
of 38 groups
All-time high
63.9%
in 2019
All-time low
29.5%
in 1986
Years of data
45
1975–2019

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Low & middle income, 1975–2019

02040601975199720191975: 30.4 %1976: 30.4 %1977: 30.5 %1978: 30.5 %1979: 30.3 %1980: 30 %1981: 30.1 %1982: 29.9 %1983: 29.7 %1984: 29.5 %1985: 29.5 %1986: 29.5 %1987: 30.3 %1988: 34.2 %1989: 34.4 %1990: 31.7 %1991: 34.9 %1992: 35.2 %1993: 35.7 %1994: 35.9 %1995: 36.2 %1996: 36.4 %1997: 44.4 %1998: 45.8 %1999: 45.6 %2000: 45.5 %2001: 45.4 %2002: 45.5 %2003: 46.1 %2004: 46.1 %2005: 45.8 %2006: 47.6 %2007: 51.2 %2008: 51.7 %2009: 53.4 %2010: 55.1 %2011: 56 %2012: 56.9 %2013: 57.3 %2014: 59 %2015: 59.5 %2016: 60.8 %2017: 61.6 %2018: 62.9 %2019: 63.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Low & middle income recorded 63.9% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in 2019. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 19.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Low & middle income peaked at 63.9% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 29.5%, in 1986.

That places Low & middle income 19th out of 38 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Low & middle income, year by year

Annual values for Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) in Low & middle income, 1975 to 2019.
Year % Change
1975 30.4%
1976 30.4% +0.0%
1977 30.5% +0.2%
1978 30.5% +0.2%
1979 30.3% -0.7%
1980 30.0% -0.8%
1981 30.1% +0.1%
1982 29.9% -0.6%
1983 29.7% -0.7%
1984 29.5% -0.6%
1985 29.5% -0.0%
1986 29.5% -0.1%
1987 30.3% +2.9%
1988 34.2% +12.8%
1989 34.4% +0.6%
1990 31.7% -8.1%
1991 34.9% +10.2%
1992 35.2% +1.0%
1993 35.7% +1.3%
1994 35.9% +0.7%
1995 36.2% +0.6%
1996 36.4% +0.6%
1997 44.4% +22.0%
1998 45.8% +3.3%
1999 45.6% -0.6%
2000 45.5% -0.2%
2001 45.4% -0.1%
2002 45.5% +0.3%
2003 46.1% +1.1%
2004 46.1% +0.1%
2005 45.8% -0.6%
2006 47.6% +4.0%
2007 51.2% +7.6%
2008 51.7% +1.0%
2009 53.4% +3.2%
2010 55.1% +3.3%
2011 56.0% +1.5%
2012 56.9% +1.6%
2013 57.3% +0.8%
2014 59.0% +2.8%
2015 59.5% +0.9%
2016 60.8% +2.2%
2017 61.6% +1.3%
2018 62.9% +2.0%
2019 63.9% +1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 30.4% 30.3% 30.5% 5
1980s 30.7% 29.5% 34.4% 10
1990s 38.2% 31.7% 45.8% 10
2000s 47.8% 45.4% 53.4% 10
2010s 59.3% 55.1% 63.9% 10

Countries ranked near Low & middle income

  1. 16 Chile 90.2% compare
  2. 17 Malta 89.7% compare
  3. 18 Maldives 89.1% compare
  4. 19 Venezuela 86.7% compare
  5. 20 Jordan 85.6% compare
  6. 21 Portugal 85.1% compare
  7. 22 Panama 84.9% compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for Low & middle income

All data for Low & middle income →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Low & middle income?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Low & middle income was 63.9% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Low & middle income?
The highest recorded value was 63.9% in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Low & middle income?
The lowest recorded value was 29.5% in 1986.
How does Low & middle income rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
Low & middle income ranks 19th out of 38 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in Low & middle income?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Low & middle income 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 Low & middle income. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-female-percent/low-and-middle-income/

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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.