Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)

Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 94.8% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
94.8%
Change on year
up 0.4%
Rank
12th
of 39 groups
All-time high
94.8%
in 2019
All-time low
71.5%
in 1975
Years of data
46
1974–2019

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

020406080100197419962019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) is 94.8%, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 94.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 71.5%, in 1975.

That places Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 12th out of 39 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1974 to 2019.
Year % Change
1974 71.5%
1975 71.5% -0.0%
1976 72.0% +0.7%
1977 72.6% +0.9%
1978 73.3% +1.0%
1979 74.0% +0.9%
1980 74.7% +1.0%
1981 75.4% +0.9%
1982 76.0% +0.8%
1983 76.6% +0.8%
1984 77.2% +0.8%
1985 77.8% +0.8%
1986 78.5% +0.8%
1987 78.9% +0.5%
1988 79.6% +0.9%
1989 80.3% +0.9%
1990 81.0% +0.8%
1991 81.7% +0.9%
1992 82.5% +1.0%
1993 83.3% +1.0%
1994 84.1% +0.9%
1995 84.9% +0.9%
1996 85.4% +0.6%
1997 85.9% +0.5%
1998 86.5% +0.8%
1999 87.0% +0.6%
2000 87.5% +0.5%
2001 87.6% +0.2%
2002 88.0% +0.4%
2003 88.9% +1.1%
2004 89.1% +0.2%
2005 89.6% +0.6%
2006 89.7% +0.1%
2007 90.7% +1.1%
2008 91.0% +0.3%
2009 91.4% +0.5%
2010 91.5% +0.1%
2011 92.2% +0.8%
2012 92.6% +0.4%
2013 92.7% +0.1%
2014 93.3% +0.7%
2015 93.5% +0.2%
2016 94.0% +0.5%
2017 94.2% +0.2%
2018 94.4% +0.3%
2019 94.8% +0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 72.5% 71.5% 74.0% 6
1980s 77.5% 74.7% 80.3% 10
1990s 84.2% 81.0% 87.0% 10
2000s 89.3% 87.5% 91.4% 10
2010s 93.3% 91.5% 94.8% 10

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

  1. 9 Uruguay 99.2% compare
  2. 10 Montenegro 99.1% compare
  3. 11 Greece 99.0% compare
  4. 12 Singapore 98.9% compare
  5. 13 Albania 98.8% compare
  6. 14 Portugal 98.7% compare
  7. 15 Maldives 98.6% 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 literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 94.8% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The highest recorded value was 94.8% in 2019.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The lowest recorded value was 71.5% in 1975.
How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 12th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-female-percent/latin-america-and-the-caribbean-ida-and-ibrd-countries/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,216 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of the female population between age 25 and age 64 who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of female literates aged 25-64 years by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.