Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in China

China: Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female was 72.1% in 2018. ▬ Flat

Latest (2018)
72.1%
World rank
9th
of 83 countries
All-time high
74.4%
in 2000
All-time low
69.7%
in 1982
Years of data
5
1982–2018

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in China, 1982–2018

0204060801982200020181982: 69.71990: 71.22000: 74.42010: 73.82018: 72.1

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2018, illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in China stood at 72.1%.

That represents a change of down 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in China peaked at 74.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 69.7%, in 1982.

That places China 9th out of 83 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in China, year by year

Annual values for Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in China, 1982 to 2018.
Year Value Change
1982 69.7% —
1990 71.2% +2.2%
2000 74.4% +4.4%
2010 73.8% -0.8%
2018 72.1% -2.3%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 72.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 58.8%, 1.2× the median. (30 countries reporting)
  • China's 72.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 58.7%, 1.2× the median. (13 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 69.7% 69.7% 69.7% 1
1990s 71.2% 71.2% 71.2% 1
2000s 74.4% 74.4% 74.4% 1
2010s 72.9% 72.1% 73.8% 2

Countries ranked near China

  1. 6 Nepal 73.6% compare
  2. 7 Peru 72.9% compare
  3. 8 Macao 72.3% compare
  4. 10 Morocco 70.2% compare
  5. 11 Tunisia 70.1% compare
  6. 12 Mozambique 69.5% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in China?
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in China was 72.1% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 74.4% in 2000.
What is the lowest illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 69.7% in 1982.
How does China rank for illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female?
China ranks 9th out of 83 countries with data for 2018.
Is illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in China. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/illiterate-population-25-64-years-percent-female/china/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/illiterate-population-25-64-years-percent-female/china/">Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in China</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female
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

Share of the adult illiterate population (age 25-64) that is female.