Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female by country
Share of the adult illiterate population (age 25-64) that is female.
Countries reporting
82
Highest
85.6%
Turkey
Lowest
14.5%
Qatar
Median
59.8%
Years covered
50
1970–2019
Data points
2,239
What the numbers show
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female is currently reported for 82 countries. The highest value is 85.6% in Turkey; the lowest is 14.5% in Qatar.
The median across all reporting countries is 59.8%, and the mean is 58.2%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 6.
Over the past decade 30 countries rose and 52 fell. The largest increase was in Bahrain (up 68.5%), and the largest decrease in Maldives (down 47.6%).
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turkey | 85.6% | 2017 | down 1.7% | rising |
| 2 | Bolivia | 79.9% | 2015 | down 1.5% | rising |
| 3 | Palestine | 77.9% | 2018 | down 2.3% | flat |
| 4 | Azerbaijan | 77.4% | 2017 | up 57.1% | rising |
| 5 | Sao Tome and Principe | 73.9% | 2018 | up 7.9% | flat |
| 6 | Nepal | 73.6% | 2018 | up 8.0% | rising |
| 7 | Peru | 72.9% | 2018 | down 5.9% | flat |
| 8 | Macao | 72.3% | 2016 | up 3.4% | rising |
| 9 | China | 72.1% | 2018 | down 2.3% | flat |
| 10 | Morocco | 70.2% | 2018 | up 5.2% | rising |
| 11 | Tunisia | 70.1% | 2014 | down 3.0% | rising |
| 12 | Mozambique | 69.5% | 2017 | down 0.3% | rising |
| 13 | Iran | 69.1% | 2016 | up 2.0% | rising |
| 14 | Togo | 69.1% | 2015 | up 3.5% | flat |
| 15 | Algeria | 68.8% | 2018 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 16 | Guatemala | 68.4% | 2014 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 17 | Senegal | 67.6% | 2017 | up 6.9% | rising |
| 18 | Cambodia | 67.4% | 2015 | down 8.8% | falling |
| 19 | Laos | 67.2% | 2015 | down 3.2% | falling |
| 20 | Indonesia | 67.0% | 2018 | down 3.6% | flat |
| 21 | Uganda | 66.9% | 2018 | down 6.8% | flat |
| 22 | Zambia | 66.9% | 2018 | up 2.1% | flat |
| 23 | Pakistan | 66.1% | 2017 | up 3.2% | rising |
| 24 | Montenegro | 65.5% | 2018 | down 5.9% | rising |
| 25 | India | 64.9% | 2018 | down 1.0% | rising |
| 26 | El Salvador | 64.8% | 2018 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 27 | Tanzania | 64.3% | 2015 | down 4.8% | falling |
| 28 | Suriname | 63.9% | 2018 | up 33.2% | rising |
| 29 | Thailand | 63.6% | 2018 | up 33.4% | falling |
| 30 | Bahrain | 63.6% | 2018 | up 68.5% | rising |
| 31 | Burundi | 63.3% | 2017 | up 12.3% | flat |
| 32 | Malawi | 62.9% | 2015 | down 5.6% | flat |
| 33 | Cameroon | 62.2% | 2018 | down 2.9% | flat |
| 34 | Kazakhstan | 62.0% | 2018 | up 27.5% | falling |
| 35 | Nigeria | 61.9% | 2018 | up 2.3% | falling |
| 36 | Saudi Arabia | 61.2% | 2017 | up 6.1% | flat |
| 37 | Central African Republic | 61.2% | 2018 | down 1.4% | rising |
| 38 | Rwanda | 60.5% | 2018 | up 0.9% | flat |
| 39 | Benin | 60.5% | 2018 | up 2.7% | flat |
| 40 | Egypt | 60.2% | 2017 | down 5.1% | flat |
| 41 | Mali | 59.8% | 2018 | up 4.7% | rising |
| 42 | Mexico | 59.7% | 2018 | down 6.6% | flat |
| 43 | Burkina Faso | 59.5% | 2018 | up 1.1% | rising |
| 44 | Albania | 58.8% | 2018 | up 12.1% | falling |
| 45 | Vietnam | 58.7% | 2018 | down 4.7% | falling |
| 46 | Panama | 58.7% | 2018 | up 2.6% | rising |
| 47 | Singapore | 58.0% | 2018 | down 5.3% | falling |
| 48 | Malaysia | 56.8% | 2018 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 49 | Chad | 56.2% | 2016 | down 3.4% | flat |
| 50 | Madagascar | 55.7% | 2018 | up 0.5% | falling |
| 51 | Cote d'Ivoire | 55.4% | 2018 | down 3.2% | rising |
| 52 | Bangladesh | 54.9% | 2019 | down 0.9% | flat |
| 53 | Vanuatu | 53.5% | 2018 | down 4.2% | flat |
| 54 | Ecuador | 53.4% | 2017 | down 6.0% | falling |
| 55 | Sri Lanka | 53.4% | 2018 | down 7.3% | falling |
| 56 | Jordan | 53.3% | 2018 | down 25.9% | falling |
| 57 | Paraguay | 52.5% | 2018 | down 6.8% | flat |
| 58 | Barbados | 52.0% | 2014 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 59 | Oman | 52.0% | 2018 | down 8.8% | falling |
| 60 | South Africa | 51.5% | 2017 | down 9.6% | flat |
| 61 | Spain | 51.4% | 2018 | down 4.4% | falling |
| 62 | Namibia | 51.4% | 2018 | up 7.6% | falling |
| 63 | Moldova | 50.8% | 2014 | up 7.5% | falling |
| 64 | Uzbekistan | 50.5% | 2018 | down 1.1% | falling |
| 65 | Brunei | 49.8% | 2018 | down 16.2% | falling |
| 66 | Honduras | 49.1% | 2018 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 67 | Portugal | 48.4% | 2018 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 68 | Chile | 48.2% | 2017 | down 0.9% | falling |
| 69 | Tonga | 47.9% | 2018 | up 5.4% | falling |
| 70 | Eswatini | 47.9% | 2018 | down 12.3% | falling |
| 71 | Philippines | 46.8% | 2015 | up 3.2% | falling |
| 72 | Dominican Republic | 46.0% | 2016 | down 6.8% | falling |
| 73 | Colombia | 45.9% | 2018 | down 7.4% | falling |
| 74 | Brazil | 44.5% | 2018 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 75 | Greece | 43.4% | 2018 | down 26.9% | falling |
| 76 | Venezuela | 42.7% | 2016 | down 14.4% | falling |
| 77 | Kuwait | 40.8% | 2018 | down 15.8% | falling |
| 78 | Argentina | 38.8% | 2018 | down 14.1% | falling |
| 79 | Uruguay | 35.2% | 2018 | down 9.0% | falling |
| 80 | Seychelles | 34.9% | 2018 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 81 | Maldives | 25.5% | 2016 | down 47.6% | falling |
| 83 | Qatar | 14.5% | 2017 | down 36.0% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 74.7%
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 72.0%
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 65.0%
- East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) 65.0%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 64.5%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 64.5%
- IDA blend 64.1%
- South Asia 64.1%
- South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 64.1%
- East Asia & Pacific 64.1%
- IBRD only 64.1%
- Lower middle income 63.7%
About this data
Share of the adult illiterate population (age 25-64) that is female.