Literacy rate, adult female in IDA total
IDA total: Literacy rate, adult female was 63.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in IDA total, 1981–2024
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 IDA total stood at 63.8%. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 14.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in IDA total peaked at 63.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 34.7%, in 1981.
IDA total ranks 30th of 39 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in IDA total, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 34.7% | — |
| 1982 | 35.1% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 35.4% | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 35.9% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 36.3% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 36.8% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 37.4% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 38.1% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 38.8% | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 39.5% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 40.1% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 40.7% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 41.3% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 42.2% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 43.0% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 43.9% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 44.8% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 46.1% | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 47.0% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 46.5% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 47.5% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 48.0% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 48.6% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 49.4% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 49.6% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 48.6% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 49.2% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 49.8% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 50.2% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 52.1% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 53.5% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 53.6% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 54.8% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 55.7% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 57.3% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 58.9% | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 59.6% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 61.0% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 61.4% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 61.8% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 62.3% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 62.8% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 63.3% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 63.8% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 36.5% | 34.7% | 38.8% | 9 |
| 1990s | 42.9% | 39.5% | 47.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.7% | 46.5% | 50.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.8% | 52.1% | 61.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.8% | 61.8% | 63.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near IDA total
More gender data for IDA total
- Labor force, female 308.79 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.1554 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 2.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Labor force, female, per square kilometre 11.72 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-49, female 0.5731 per 1,000 uninfected female population ages 15-49 (2024)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-49, male 0.3525 per 1,000 uninfected male population ages 15-49 (2024)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-24, female 0.7217 per 1,000 uninfected female population ages 15-24 (2024)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-24, male 0.2779 per 1,000 uninfected male population ages 15-24 (2024)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) 120.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in IDA total?
- Literacy rate, adult female in IDA total was 63.8% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in IDA total?
- The highest recorded value was 63.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in IDA total?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.7% in 1981.
- How does IDA total rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- IDA total ranks 30th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in IDA total?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this IDA total 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.