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

Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male was 7.81 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
7.81 million number
Change on year
down 4.0%
Rank
30th
of 39 groups
All-time high
12.34 million number
in 1990
All-time low
7.81 million number
in 2019
Years of data
46
1974–2019

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

02.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M12.5M197419962019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 7.81 million number for illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 46 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 19.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 12.34 million number in 1990 and was at its lowest, 7.81 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, male in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year

Annual values for Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male (number) in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1974 to 2019.
Year number Change
1974 10.97 million number
1975 11.27 million number +2.7%
1976 11.38 million number +0.9%
1977 11.45 million number +0.6%
1978 11.49 million number +0.4%
1979 11.54 million number +0.5%
1980 11.64 million number +0.8%
1981 11.66 million number +0.1%
1982 11.76 million number +0.9%
1983 11.84 million number +0.7%
1984 11.93 million number +0.8%
1985 12.04 million number +0.9%
1986 12.13 million number +0.8%
1987 12.20 million number +0.6%
1988 12.23 million number +0.3%
1989 12.26 million number +0.2%
1990 12.34 million number +0.6%
1991 12.24 million number -0.8%
1992 12.06 million number -1.5%
1993 11.88 million number -1.5%
1994 11.65 million number -1.9%
1995 11.42 million number -2.0%
1996 11.39 million number -0.3%
1997 11.37 million number -0.2%
1998 11.21 million number -1.4%
1999 11.16 million number -0.4%
2000 11.13 million number -0.3%
2001 11.15 million number +0.1%
2002 11.31 million number +1.4%
2003 10.83 million number -4.2%
2004 10.82 million number -0.1%
2005 10.74 million number -0.8%
2006 10.59 million number -1.4%
2007 10.16 million number -4.0%
2008 10.09 million number -0.8%
2009 9.74 million number -3.4%
2010 10.25 million number +5.1%
2011 9.44 million number -7.9%
2012 9.46 million number +0.2%
2013 9.57 million number +1.2%
2014 9.09 million number -5.0%
2015 8.83 million number -2.8%
2016 8.24 million number -6.7%
2017 8.27 million number +0.3%
2018 8.14 million number -1.6%
2019 7.81 million number -4.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 11.35 million number 10.97 million number 11.54 million number 6
1980s 11.97 million number 11.64 million number 12.26 million number 10
1990s 11.67 million number 11.16 million number 12.34 million number 10
2000s 10.65 million number 9.74 million number 11.31 million number 10
2010s 8.91 million number 7.81 million number 10.25 million number 10

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

  1. 27 Cameroon 817,160 number compare
  2. 28 Malawi 798,718 number compare
  3. 29 Colombia 570,730 number compare
  4. 30 Rwanda 536,304 number compare
  5. 31 Burundi 505,528 number compare
  6. 32 Cambodia 488,245 number compare
  7. 33 Philippines 425,685 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, male in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 7.81 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest illiterate population, 25-64 years, male recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The highest recorded value was 12.34 million number in 1990.
What is the lowest illiterate population, 25-64 years, male recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The lowest recorded value was 7.81 million number in 2019.
How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for illiterate population, 25-64 years, male?
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 30th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is illiterate population, 25-64 years, male rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.8%. 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, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male 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-male-number/latin-america-and-the-caribbean-ida-and-ibrd-countries/

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About this data

Indicator
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,243 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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