Literacy rate, adult female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Literacy rate, adult female was 98.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 1988–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, adult female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) stood at 98.4%. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) peaked at 98.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 88.5%, in 1988.
That places Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 5th out of 39 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 88.5% | — |
| 1989 | 88.6% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 88.9% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 89.3% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 89.6% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 89.9% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 90.2% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 90.5% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 91.0% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 91.3% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 91.8% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 92.1% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 92.3% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 92.5% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 92.7% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 92.9% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 93.1% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 93.4% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 93.3% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 93.5% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 93.7% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 95.2% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 96.0% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 96.7% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 97.1% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 97.2% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 97.3% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 97.4% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 97.6% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 97.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 97.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 98.0% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 98.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 98.2% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 98.2% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 98.3% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 88.6% | 88.5% | 88.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 90.5% | 88.9% | 92.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 93.3% | 92.3% | 95.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 97.3% | 96.0% | 98.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.2% | 98.1% | 98.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
More gender data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- Labor force, female 36.28 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.1433 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 0.6952 % change on previous year (2025)
- Labor force, female, per square kilometre 5.97 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) 156.5% (2025)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female 15.37 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male 15.4 years (2019)
- Proportion of women in ministerial level positions 16.9% (2025)
- Own-account workers, female (% of female employment) 10.5% (2016)
All data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Literacy rate, adult female in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) was 98.4% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 98.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 88.5% in 1988.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 5th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.