Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Middle income

Middle income: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 65.8% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
65.8%
Change on year
up 1.7%
Rank
18th
of 38 groups
All-time high
65.8%
in 2019
All-time low
30.0%
in 1986
Years of data
45
1975–2019

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Middle income, 1975–2019

02040601975199720191975: 31 %1976: 31.1 %1977: 31.1 %1978: 31.2 %1979: 30.9 %1980: 30.7 %1981: 30.7 %1982: 30.5 %1983: 30.3 %1984: 30.1 %1985: 30 %1986: 30 %1987: 30.9 %1988: 35 %1989: 35.2 %1990: 32.3 %1991: 35.7 %1992: 36 %1993: 36.5 %1994: 36.7 %1995: 36.9 %1996: 37.1 %1997: 45.5 %1998: 47.1 %1999: 46.7 %2000: 46.6 %2001: 46.5 %2002: 46.7 %2003: 47.2 %2004: 47.2 %2005: 46.9 %2006: 48.7 %2007: 52.5 %2008: 53 %2009: 54.7 %2010: 56.6 %2011: 57.5 %2012: 58.5 %2013: 59 %2014: 60.7 %2015: 61.2 %2016: 62.6 %2017: 63.4 %2018: 64.7 %2019: 65.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Middle income is 65.8%, measured 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 20.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Middle income peaked at 65.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 30.0%, in 1986.

That places Middle income 18th 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 Middle income, year by year

Annual values for Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) in Middle income, 1975 to 2019.
Year % Change
1975 31.0%
1976 31.1% +0.0%
1977 31.1% +0.2%
1978 31.2% +0.2%
1979 30.9% -0.8%
1980 30.7% -0.9%
1981 30.7% +0.0%
1982 30.5% -0.6%
1983 30.3% -0.7%
1984 30.1% -0.6%
1985 30.0% -0.1%
1986 30.0% -0.1%
1987 30.9% +3.0%
1988 35.0% +13.2%
1989 35.2% +0.6%
1990 32.3% -8.3%
1991 35.7% +10.5%
1992 36.0% +0.9%
1993 36.5% +1.3%
1994 36.7% +0.7%
1995 36.9% +0.6%
1996 37.1% +0.5%
1997 45.5% +22.6%
1998 47.1% +3.4%
1999 46.7% -0.7%
2000 46.6% -0.2%
2001 46.5% -0.2%
2002 46.7% +0.3%
2003 47.2% +1.1%
2004 47.2% +0.0%
2005 46.9% -0.6%
2006 48.7% +3.9%
2007 52.5% +7.7%
2008 53.0% +0.9%
2009 54.7% +3.3%
2010 56.6% +3.4%
2011 57.5% +1.7%
2012 58.5% +1.7%
2013 59.0% +0.8%
2014 60.7% +2.9%
2015 61.2% +1.0%
2016 62.6% +2.2%
2017 63.4% +1.3%
2018 64.7% +2.0%
2019 65.8% +1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 31.1% 30.9% 31.2% 5
1980s 31.3% 30.0% 35.2% 10
1990s 39.0% 32.3% 47.1% 10
2000s 49.0% 46.5% 54.7% 10
2010s 61.0% 56.6% 65.8% 10

Countries ranked near Middle income

  1. 15 Namibia 91.4% compare
  2. 16 Chile 90.2% compare
  3. 17 Malta 89.7% compare
  4. 18 Maldives 89.1% compare
  5. 19 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 86.7% compare
  6. 20 Jordan 85.6% compare
  7. 21 Portugal 85.1% compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for Middle income

All data for Middle income →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Middle income?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Middle income was 65.8% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Middle income?
The highest recorded value was 65.8% in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Middle income?
The lowest recorded value was 30.0% in 1986.
How does Middle income rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
Middle income ranks 18th out of 38 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in Middle income?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this 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 Middle income. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-female-percent/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.