Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in World

World: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 82.9% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
82.9%
Change on year
up 0.4%
Rank
17th
of 39 groups
All-time high
82.9%
in 2019
All-time low
54.5%
in 1976
Years of data
44
1976–2019

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in World, 1976–2019

0204060801976199720191976: 54.5 %1977: 54.6 %1978: 55.2 %1979: 55.8 %1980: 56.2 %1981: 57.3 %1982: 58.3 %1983: 58.5 %1984: 59.2 %1985: 59.9 %1986: 60.6 %1987: 61.3 %1988: 64.1 %1989: 64.8 %1990: 65.6 %1991: 66.3 %1992: 66.9 %1993: 67.6 %1994: 68.3 %1995: 69 %1996: 69.7 %1997: 72.9 %1998: 74.4 %1999: 75 %2000: 75.6 %2001: 75.9 %2002: 76.3 %2003: 76.9 %2004: 77.4 %2005: 77.3 %2006: 77.8 %2007: 77.9 %2008: 78.5 %2009: 78.9 %2010: 79.8 %2011: 80.1 %2012: 80.4 %2013: 80.6 %2014: 81.2 %2015: 81.7 %2016: 82.1 %2017: 82.3 %2018: 82.6 %2019: 82.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in World stood at 82.9%. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in World peaked at 82.9% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 54.5%, in 1976.

That places World 17th 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 44 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 55.0% 54.5% 55.8% 4
1980s 60.0% 56.2% 64.8% 10
1990s 69.6% 65.6% 75.0% 10
2000s 77.3% 75.6% 78.9% 10
2010s 81.4% 79.8% 82.9% 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 14 Portugal 98.7% compare
  2. 15 Maldives 98.6% compare
  3. 16 Philippines 98.3% compare
  4. 17 Jordan 98.3% compare
  5. 18 Venezuela 98.1% compare
  6. 19 Seychelles 98.1% compare
  7. 20 Brunei 98.1% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in World?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in World was 82.9% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 82.9% in 2019.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 54.5% in 1976.
How does World rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
World ranks 17th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this World 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

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.