Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD): Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female was 64.5% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
64.5%
Change on year
down 0.1%
Rank
6th
of 39 groups
All-time high
69.5%
in 2004
All-time low
61.1%
in 1971
Years of data
49
1971–2019

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 1971–2019

0204060197119952019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) recorded 64.5% for illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 69.5% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 61.1%, in 1971.

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 6th of 39 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), year by year

Annual values for Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 1971 to 2019.
Year Value Change
1971 61.1%
1972 61.2% +0.2%
1973 61.3% +0.2%
1974 61.5% +0.2%
1975 61.6% +0.2%
1976 61.6% -0.1%
1977 61.7% +0.3%
1978 61.9% +0.2%
1979 62.0% +0.2%
1980 62.1% +0.2%
1981 62.3% +0.3%
1982 62.5% +0.3%
1983 62.1% -0.6%
1984 62.4% +0.4%
1985 62.7% +0.5%
1986 62.7% +0.1%
1987 63.0% +0.4%
1988 63.1% +0.3%
1989 63.3% +0.2%
1990 63.8% +0.8%
1991 63.9% +0.2%
1992 64.2% +0.4%
1993 65.0% +1.3%
1994 65.1% +0.2%
1995 65.3% +0.3%
1996 65.5% +0.3%
1997 65.9% +0.6%
1998 66.2% +0.5%
1999 66.4% +0.4%
2000 66.7% +0.3%
2001 67.0% +0.5%
2002 67.3% +0.4%
2003 69.4% +3.1%
2004 69.5% +0.2%
2005 68.1% -2.0%
2006 67.1% -1.5%
2007 67.3% +0.3%
2008 67.2% -0.0%
2009 66.6% -1.0%
2010 66.5% -0.1%
2011 66.1% -0.5%
2012 67.1% +1.4%
2013 67.8% +1.0%
2014 66.5% -1.8%
2015 66.5% -0.1%
2016 64.7% -2.7%
2017 64.4% -0.3%
2018 64.5% +0.1%
2019 64.5% -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 61.5% 61.1% 62.0% 9
1980s 62.6% 62.1% 63.3% 10
1990s 65.1% 63.8% 66.4% 10
2000s 67.6% 66.6% 69.5% 10
2010s 65.9% 64.4% 67.8% 10

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

  1. 3 Palestine, State of 77.9% compare
  2. 4 Azerbaijan 77.4% compare
  3. 5 Sao Tome and Principe 73.9% compare
  4. 6 Nepal 73.6% compare
  5. 7 Peru 72.9% compare
  6. 8 Macau, China 72.3% compare
  7. 9 China 72.1% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) →

Frequently asked questions

What is illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) was 64.5% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
The highest recorded value was 69.5% in 2004.
What is the lowest illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
The lowest recorded value was 61.1% in 1971.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) rank for illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 6th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 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.

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Illiterate population, 25-64 years, % female in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/illiterate-population-25-64-years-percent-female/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-ida-and-ibrd/

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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.