Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Nigeria

Nigeria: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 17.6% in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
17.6%
World rank
70th
of 82 countries
All-time high
31.5%
in 2006
All-time low
7.2%
in 2003
Years of data
5
1991–2018

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Nigeria, 1991–2018

510152025301991200420181991: 11.4 %2003: 7.2 %2006: 31.5 %2008: 11.1 %2018: 17.6 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Nigeria stood at 17.6%.

That represents a change of up 59.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Nigeria peaked at 31.5% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2003.

Nigeria ranks 70th of 82 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11.4% 11.4% 11.4% 1
2000s 16.6% 7.2% 31.5% 3
2010s 17.6% 17.6% 17.6% 1

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 67 Algeria 19.7% compare
  2. 68 Morocco 19.0% compare
  3. 69 Central African Republic 18.5% compare
  4. 71 Burundi 17.0% compare
  5. 72 Mozambique, Republic of 15.8% compare
  6. 73 Malawi 15.6% compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Nigeria?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Nigeria was 17.6% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 31.5% in 2006.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 2003.
How does Nigeria rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
Nigeria ranks 70th out of 82 countries with data for 2018.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 59.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nigeria 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 Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-female-percent/nigeria/

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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.