Literacy rate, adult female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Literacy rate, adult female was 94.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1974–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) is 94.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 94.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 74.7%, in 1974.
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 12th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 74.7% | — |
| 1975 | 74.7% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 75.2% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 75.8% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 76.4% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 77.0% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 77.5% | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 78.0% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 78.6% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 79.1% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 79.6% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 80.1% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 80.6% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 80.9% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 81.5% | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 82.0% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 82.5% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 83.2% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 83.9% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 84.6% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 85.3% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 86.0% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 86.4% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 86.7% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 87.1% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 87.5% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 87.9% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 88.0% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 88.4% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 89.1% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 89.5% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 89.2% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 89.4% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 90.6% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 90.9% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 91.1% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 91.1% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 91.8% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 92.2% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 92.2% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 92.8% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 92.9% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 93.4% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 93.4% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 93.6% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 93.8% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 93.9% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 94.1% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 94.3% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 94.5% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 94.6% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 75.6% | 74.7% | 77.0% | 6 |
| 1980s | 79.8% | 77.5% | 82.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 85.3% | 82.5% | 87.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 89.4% | 87.9% | 91.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 92.7% | 91.1% | 93.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.3% | 93.9% | 94.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
More gender data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Labor force, female 134.02 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.2057 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Labor force, female, per square kilometre 6.55 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) 136.0% (2025)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female 15.33 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male 14.52 years (2019)
- Proportion of women in ministerial level positions 30.1% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (%) 137.6% (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Literacy rate, adult female in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 94.6% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 94.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.7% in 1974.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 12th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.