Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female (%) by country
Percentage of the female population in urban areas 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...
What the numbers show
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female (%) is currently reported for 38 countries. The highest value is 99.9% in Azerbaijan, Republic of; the lowest is 37.8% in Senegal.
The median across all reporting countries is 95.8%, and the mean is 88.3%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 3.
Over the past decade 31 countries rose and 7 fell. The largest increase was in Mali (up 47.6%), and the largest decrease in Senegal (down 19.9%).
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azerbaijan, Republic of | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 2 | Moldova, Republic of | 99.7% | 2014 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 3 | Argentina | 99.4% | 2018 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 4 | Spain | 99.3% | 2018 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 5 | Uruguay | 99.3% | 2018 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 6 | Greece | 99.0% | 2011 | up 0.9% | rising |
| 7 | Singapore | 98.9% | 2018 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 8 | Kuwait | 97.8% | 2018 | up 6.6% | rising |
| 9 | Indonesia | 97.8% | 2018 | up 2.8% | rising |
| 10 | Chile | 97.7% | 2017 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 11 | Colombia | 97.7% | 2018 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 12 | Mexico | 97.6% | 2018 | up 2.6% | rising |
| 13 | Ecuador | 97.2% | 2017 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 14 | Malaysia | 96.9% | 2018 | up 1.8% | rising |
| 15 | Paraguay | 96.9% | 2018 | up 0.9% | flat |
| 16 | Brazil | 96.4% | 2018 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 17 | Palestine | 96.4% | 2018 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 18 | Dominican Republic | 96.0% | 2016 | up 5.2% | rising |
| 19 | Peru | 95.9% | 2018 | up 2.4% | flat |
| 20 | Türkiye, Republic of | 95.7% | 2015 | up 11.5% | rising |
| 21 | Qatar | 95.2% | 2017 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 22 | Bolivia | 94.9% | 2015 | up 1.3% | rising |
| 23 | Thailand | 94.2% | 2018 | down 3.3% | flat |
| 24 | Sri Lanka | 93.5% | 2018 | up 2.1% | flat |
| 25 | Honduras | 93.2% | 2018 | up 2.7% | flat |
| 26 | El Salvador | 92.7% | 2018 | up 6.0% | rising |
| 27 | South Africa | 91.9% | 2017 | down 4.5% | rising |
| 28 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 87.9% | 2016 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 29 | Cambodia | 87.1% | 2015 | up 17.2% | rising |
| 30 | Guatemala | 85.5% | 2014 | up 14.0% | rising |
| 31 | Bangladesh | 77.1% | 2019 | up 24.3% | rising |
| 32 | Uganda | 75.6% | 2012 | down 4.7% | rising |
| 33 | Egypt, Arab Republic of | 74.5% | 2017 | up 22.7% | rising |
| 34 | Morocco | 69.1% | 2012 | up 36.4% | rising |
| 35 | Pakistan | 59.0% | 2017 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 36 | Burkina Faso | 48.3% | 2014 | up 28.2% | rising |
| 37 | Mali | 42.0% | 2018 | up 47.6% | rising |
| 38 | Senegal | 37.8% | 2017 | down 19.9% | falling |
About this data
Percentage of the female population in urban areas 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. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/