Literacy rate, adult female in IBRD only
IBRD only: Literacy rate, adult female was 87.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in IBRD only, 1975–2024
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 IBRD only stood at 87.9%. That is the highest value across all 50 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, adult female in IBRD only peaked at 87.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 50.4%, in 1975.
IBRD only ranks 15th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in IBRD only, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 50.4% | — |
| 1976 | 50.6% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 51.1% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 52.1% | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 53.2% | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 54.2% | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 55.2% | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 56.2% | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 57.1% | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 58.3% | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 59.2% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 60.2% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 61.2% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 63.8% | +4.3% |
| 1989 | 64.6% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 65.5% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 66.2% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 67.0% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 67.8% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 68.6% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 69.4% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 70.1% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 74.3% | +5.9% |
| 1998 | 76.0% | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 76.6% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 77.3% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 77.7% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 78.2% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 78.9% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 79.4% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 79.3% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 79.7% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 80.9% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 81.5% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 82.1% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 83.1% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 83.4% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 83.9% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 84.2% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 84.7% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 85.1% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 85.4% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 85.7% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 86.0% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 86.1% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 86.5% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 86.8% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 87.2% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 87.5% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 87.9% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 51.5% | 50.4% | 53.2% | 5 |
| 1980s | 59.0% | 54.2% | 64.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 70.2% | 65.5% | 76.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.5% | 77.3% | 82.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 84.8% | 83.1% | 86.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.2% | 86.5% | 87.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near IBRD only
More gender data for IBRD only
- Labor force, female 909.15 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.1816 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 0.6743 % change on previous year (2025)
- Labor force, female, per square kilometre 12.59 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) 117.9% (2025)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female 13.53 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male 13.12 years (2019)
- Proportion of women in ministerial level positions 21.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (%) 129.8% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in IBRD only?
- Literacy rate, adult female in IBRD only was 87.9% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in IBRD only?
- The highest recorded value was 87.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in IBRD only?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.4% in 1975.
- How does IBRD only rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- IBRD only ranks 15th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in IBRD only?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this IBRD only 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.