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

Zambia: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 46.9% in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
46.9%
World rank
52nd
of 82 countries
All-time high
46.9%
in 2018
All-time low
7.7%
in 1990
Years of data
6
1990–2018

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Zambia, 1990–2018

10203040501990200420181990: 7.7 %1999: 17.3 %2002: 15.8 %2007: 34.9 %2010: 34.2 %2018: 46.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Zambia recorded 46.9% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in 2018. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.

The figure is up 34.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Zambia peaked at 46.9% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 1990.

Zambia ranks 52nd of 82 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 12.5% 7.7% 17.3% 2
2000s 25.4% 15.8% 34.9% 2
2010s 40.6% 34.2% 46.9% 2

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 49 Bolivia 54.0% compare
  2. 50 Eswatini 52.3% compare
  3. 51 South Africa 51.2% compare
  4. 53 Saudi Arabia 46.3% compare
  5. 54 Lao People’s Democratic Republic 44.7% compare
  6. 55 Vanuatu 43.2% compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Zambia?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Zambia was 46.9% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 46.9% in 2018.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 1990.
How does Zambia rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
Zambia ranks 52nd out of 82 countries with data for 2018.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zambia 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-female-percent/zambia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-female-percent/zambia/">Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Zambia</a> — Statizoid

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.