Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male was 56.81 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
56.81 million number
Change on year
up 2.4%
Rank
12th
of 38 groups
All-time high
56.81 million number
in 2019
All-time low
30.50 million number
in 1984
Years of data
36
1984–2019

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1984–2019

020.0M40.0M60.0M1984200120191984: 30.5M number1985: 31.0M number1986: 31.5M number1987: 31.8M number1988: 32.2M number1989: 32.6M number1990: 33.0M number1991: 33.4M number1992: 33.8M number1993: 34.1M number1994: 34.4M number1995: 35.2M number1996: 35.4M number1997: 35.6M number1998: 35.6M number1999: 35.9M number2000: 37.9M number2001: 37.9M number2002: 38.4M number2003: 39.1M number2004: 39.0M number2005: 40.9M number2006: 42.2M number2007: 46.6M number2008: 47.9M number2009: 48.8M number2010: 49.7M number2011: 49.5M number2012: 49.5M number2013: 50.2M number2014: 50.7M number2015: 51.7M number2016: 52.7M number2017: 54.5M number2018: 55.5M number2019: 56.8M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Sub-Saharan Africa is 56.81 million number, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 16.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 56.81 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 30.50 million number, in 1984.

That places Sub-Saharan Africa 12th out of 38 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 31.62 million number 30.50 million number 32.65 million number 6
1990s 34.65 million number 32.99 million number 35.90 million number 10
2000s 41.88 million number 37.88 million number 48.77 million number 10
2010s 52.09 million number 49.46 million number 56.81 million number 10

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. 9 Burkina Faso 1.75 million number compare
  2. 10 Iran 1.70 million number compare
  3. 11 South Africa 1.65 million number compare
  4. 12 Mali 1.63 million number compare
  5. 13 Chad 1.53 million number compare
  6. 14 Morocco 1.51 million number compare
  7. 15 Indonesia 1.45 million number compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, male in Sub-Saharan Africa was 56.81 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest illiterate population, 25-64 years, male recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 56.81 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest illiterate population, 25-64 years, male recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 30.50 million number in 1984.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for illiterate population, 25-64 years, male?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 12th out of 38 groups with data for 2019.
Is illiterate population, 25-64 years, male rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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 Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/illiterate-population-25-64-years-male-number/sub-saharan-africa/

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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.