Statizoid

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes (number) by country

Total number of adults from age 25 to age 64 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.

Countries reporting
80
Highest
186.67 million number
India
Lowest
4 number
Uzbekistan
Median
762,415 number
Years covered
50
1970–2019
Data points
2,239

What the numbers show

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes (number) is currently reported for 80 countries. The highest value is 186.67 million number in India; the lowest is 4 number in Uzbekistan.

The median across all reporting countries is 762,415 number, and the mean is 5.05 million number.

Over the past decade 32 countries rose and 47 fell. The largest increase was in Azerbaijan (up 1,278.8%), and the largest decrease in Philippines (down 71.2%).

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 India 186.67 million number 2018 down 9.7% rising
2 Pakistan 39.83 million number 2017 up 22.7% rising
3 Nigeria 28.54 million number 2018 up 7.4% rising
4 Bangladesh 23.23 million number 2019 down 33.1% rising
5 Egypt 13.77 million number 2017 up 10.0% rising
6 China 13.21 million number 2018 down 41.5% volatile
7 Brazil 6.31 million number 2018 down 30.5% falling
8 Iran 5.49 million number 2016 down 9.5% falling
9 Morocco 5.09 million number 2018 down 27.5% flat
10 Cote d'Ivoire 4.98 million number 2018 up 12.9% rising
11 Nepal 4.56 million number 2018 down 10.0% flat
12 Indonesia 4.38 million number 2018 down 37.3% volatile
13 Burkina Faso 4.31 million number 2018 up 31.0% rising
14 Mali 4.07 million number 2018 up 27.7% rising
15 Mozambique 3.92 million number 2017 down 2.9% rising
16 Uganda 3.90 million number 2018 up 43.2% rising
17 Tanzania 3.83 million number 2015 up 10.1% rising
18 Algeria 3.54 million number 2018 down 17.4% falling
19 Chad 3.50 million number 2016 up 62.0% rising
20 South Africa 3.39 million number 2017 up 44.2% falling
21 Senegal 2.96 million number 2017 up 33.0% rising
22 Thailand 2.83 million number 2018 up 135.4% flat
23 Madagascar 2.58 million number 2018 up 4.2% rising
24 Benin 2.58 million number 2018 up 27.4% rising
25 Vietnam 2.46 million number 2018 up 2.2% flat
26 Cameroon 2.16 million number 2018 up 13.4% rising
28 Malawi 2.15 million number 2015 up 17.3% rising
29 Cambodia 1.50 million number 2015 up 15.1% rising
30 Burundi 1.38 million number 2017 down 1.6% rising
31 Rwanda 1.36 million number 2018 up 4.6% rising
32 Guatemala 1.27 million number 2014 down 7.1% rising
33 Tunisia 1.12 million number 2014 down 8.8% falling
34 Togo 1.06 million number 2015 up 11.1% rising
35 Colombia 1.05 million number 2018 down 14.8% falling
36 Turkey 992,371 number 2017 down 70.8% volatile
37 Central African Republic 915,299 number 2018 up 1.4% rising
38 Zambia 836,095 number 2018 down 43.4% rising
39 Sri Lanka 804,858 number 2018 down 14.5% flat
40 Peru 802,248 number 2018 down 31.3% falling
41 Philippines 800,856 number 2015 down 71.2% falling
42 Saudi Arabia 723,974 number 2017 down 62.4% falling
43 Malaysia 551,610 number 2018 down 23.2% falling
44 Honduras 524,909 number 2018 up 6.6% flat
45 Laos 464,121 number 2015 down 21.9% rising
46 Ecuador 437,732 number 2017 up 11.9% falling
47 Venezuela 316,627 number 2016 down 35.7% falling
48 El Salvador 296,118 number 2018 down 27.9% falling
49 Bolivia 295,323 number 2015 down 6.2% falling
50 Dominican Republic 279,320 number 2016 down 42.8% falling
51 Chile 274,999 number 2017 up 130.5% falling
52 Spain 181,962 number 2018 down 38.6% volatile
53 Argentina 166,717 number 2018 down 5.8% volatile
54 Paraguay 145,358 number 2018 down 8.5% falling
55 Qatar 125,067 number 2017 up 49.1% rising
56 Oman 119,293 number 2018 down 43.5% falling
57 Kuwait 100,786 number 2018 up 4.4% falling
58 Namibia 80,338 number 2018 down 55.1% falling
59 Portugal 75,665 number 2018 down 22.7% volatile
61 Greece 68,175 number 2018 down 19.2% volatile
62 Jordan 67,902 number 2018 down 58.0% volatile
63 Eswatini 50,427 number 2018 down 23.3% falling
64 Palestine 45,443 number 2018 down 37.5% falling
66 Kazakhstan 20,015 number 2018 up 58.2% volatile
67 Bahrain 19,084 number 2018 down 71.1% falling
68 Uruguay 18,875 number 2018 down 22.2% falling
69 Vanuatu 15,155 number 2018 down 18.6% falling
70 Albania 14,715 number 2018 down 11.6% rising
71 Suriname 14,668 number 2018 up 48.7% falling
72 Malta 9,818 number 2018 down 31.9% falling
73 Moldova 8,069 number 2014 up 29.4% volatile
74 Macao 8,047 number 2016 down 37.2% falling
75 Maldives 5,434 number 2016 up 197.3% falling
76 Sao Tome and Principe 5,247 number 2018 down 70.6% falling
77 Azerbaijan 5,212 number 2017 up 1,278.8% volatile
78 Brunei 4,443 number 2018 down 22.3% volatile
79 Montenegro 2,225 number 2018 down 3.5% volatile
80 Seychelles 1,393 number 2018 down 33.8% falling
81 Barbados 460 number 2014 up 6.0% falling
82 Tonga 228 number 2018 down 41.5% rising
83 Uzbekistan 4 number 2018 — volatile

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

About this data

Indicator
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,239 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of adults from age 25 to age 64 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.