Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)

Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female was 8.50 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
8.50 million number
Change on year
down 4.9%
Rank
30th
of 39 groups
All-time high
16.42 million number
in 1987
All-time low
8.50 million number
in 2019
Years of data
46
1974–2019

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1974–2019

05.0M10.0M15.0M197419962019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 8.50 million number. That is the lowest value across all 46 years on record.

That represents a change of down 4.9% on the previous year and down 27.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 16.42 million number in 1987 and was at its lowest, 8.50 million number, in 2019.

That places Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 30th out of 39 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year

Annual values for Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female (number) in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1974 to 2019.
Year number Change
1974 15.10 million number
1975 15.52 million number +2.8%
1976 15.66 million number +0.9%
1977 15.75 million number +0.5%
1978 15.80 million number +0.3%
1979 15.85 million number +0.3%
1980 15.88 million number +0.2%
1981 15.93 million number +0.3%
1982 16.03 million number +0.6%
1983 16.10 million number +0.4%
1984 16.16 million number +0.4%
1985 16.22 million number +0.3%
1986 16.23 million number +0.1%
1987 16.42 million number +1.2%
1988 16.33 million number -0.5%
1989 16.23 million number -0.6%
1990 16.13 million number -0.6%
1991 15.97 million number -1.0%
1992 15.66 million number -2.0%
1993 15.36 million number -1.9%
1994 15.05 million number -2.0%
1995 14.70 million number -2.3%
1996 14.53 million number -1.1%
1997 14.48 million number -0.3%
1998 14.16 million number -2.2%
1999 13.98 million number -1.3%
2000 13.81 million number -1.3%
2001 13.99 million number +1.4%
2002 13.93 million number -0.5%
2003 13.16 million number -5.5%
2004 13.28 million number +0.9%
2005 12.90 million number -2.9%
2006 13.12 million number +1.8%
2007 12.12 million number -7.7%
2008 12.00 million number -1.0%
2009 11.69 million number -2.6%
2010 11.85 million number +1.4%
2011 11.00 million number -7.2%
2012 10.68 million number -2.9%
2013 10.77 million number +0.8%
2014 10.03 million number -6.9%
2015 9.88 million number -1.5%
2016 9.27 million number -6.2%
2017 9.19 million number -0.9%
2018 8.94 million number -2.7%
2019 8.50 million number -4.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 15.61 million number 15.10 million number 15.85 million number 6
1980s 16.15 million number 15.88 million number 16.42 million number 10
1990s 15.00 million number 13.98 million number 16.13 million number 10
2000s 13.00 million number 11.69 million number 13.99 million number 10
2010s 10.01 million number 8.50 million number 11.85 million number 10

Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)

  1. 27 Cameroon 1.35 million number compare
  2. 28 Mexico 1.29 million number compare
  3. 29 Cambodia 1.01 million number compare
  4. 30 Burundi 871,156 number compare
  5. 31 Guatemala 868,290 number compare
  6. 32 Türkiye 849,630 number compare
  7. 33 Rwanda 820,558 number compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)

All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →

Frequently asked questions

What is illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 8.50 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest illiterate population, 25-64 years, female recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The highest recorded value was 16.42 million number in 1987.
What is the lowest illiterate population, 25-64 years, female recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The lowest recorded value was 8.50 million number in 2019.
How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for illiterate population, 25-64 years, female?
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 30th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is illiterate population, 25-64 years, female rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Over the last ten years it is down 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/illiterate-population-25-64-years-female-number/latin-america-and-the-caribbean-ida-and-ibrd-countries/

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About this data

Indicator
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,240 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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