Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in World

World: Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes was 515.16 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
515.16 million number
Change on year
down 0.5%
Rank
1st
of 39 groups
All-time high
626.22 million number
in 1987
All-time low
515.16 million number
in 2019
Years of data
44
1976–2019

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in World, 1976–2019

0200.0M400.0M600.0M1976199720191976: 586.5M number1977: 596.4M number1978: 601.0M number1979: 605.5M number1980: 612.5M number1981: 610.2M number1982: 605.5M number1983: 618.6M number1984: 619.8M number1985: 622.7M number1986: 624.6M number1987: 626.2M number1988: 596.6M number1989: 598.3M number1990: 598.7M number1991: 600.4M number1992: 601.3M number1993: 601.4M number1994: 601.1M number1995: 600.3M number1996: 599.5M number1997: 555.2M number1998: 529.4M number1999: 528.1M number2000: 524.0M number2001: 527.0M number2002: 526.3M number2003: 521.2M number2004: 518.9M number2005: 531.0M number2006: 531.3M number2007: 539.1M number2008: 534.3M number2009: 534.8M number2010: 528.7M number2011: 532.7M number2012: 531.3M number2013: 534.3M number2014: 527.7M number2015: 521.8M number2016: 517.9M number2017: 518.9M number2018: 517.7M number2019: 515.2M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in World is 515.16 million number, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 44 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in World peaked at 626.22 million number in 1987 and was at its lowest, 515.16 million number, in 2019.

That places World 1st out of 39 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 597.35 million number 586.47 million number 605.47 million number 4
1980s 613.50 million number 596.58 million number 626.22 million number 10
1990s 581.55 million number 528.13 million number 601.42 million number 10
2000s 528.78 million number 518.87 million number 539.07 million number 10
2010s 524.61 million number 515.16 million number 534.26 million number 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 India 186.67 million number compare
  2. 2 Pakistan 39.83 million number compare
  3. 3 Nigeria 28.54 million number compare
  4. 4 Bangladesh 23.23 million number compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in World?
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in World was 515.16 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 626.22 million number in 1987.
What is the lowest illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 515.16 million number in 2019.
How does World rank for illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes?
World ranks 1st out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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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.