Literacy rate, adult female in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Literacy rate, adult female was 81.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in Low & middle income, 1975–2024
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 Low & middle income is 81.9%, measured in 2024. 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 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Low & middle income peaked at 81.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 46.8%, in 1975.
Low & middle income ranks 21st 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 Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 46.8% | — |
| 1976 | 47.0% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 47.4% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 48.3% | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 49.3% | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 50.2% | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 51.1% | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 52.0% | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 52.9% | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 53.9% | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 54.8% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 55.7% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 56.6% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 59.0% | +4.1% |
| 1989 | 59.8% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 60.6% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 61.4% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 62.1% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 62.7% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 63.5% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 64.2% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 65.0% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 68.5% | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 70.1% | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 70.7% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 71.1% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 71.6% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 72.1% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 72.7% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 73.2% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 73.1% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 73.2% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 74.3% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 74.8% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 75.3% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 76.5% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 77.0% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 77.3% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 77.7% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 78.3% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 78.8% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 79.4% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 79.7% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 80.2% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 80.3% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 80.7% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 81.0% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 81.3% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 81.6% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 81.9% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 47.7% | 46.8% | 49.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 54.6% | 50.2% | 59.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.9% | 60.6% | 70.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 73.2% | 71.1% | 75.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.5% | 76.5% | 80.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.3% | 80.7% | 81.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More gender data for Low & middle income
- Labor force, female 1.17 billion (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.1724 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 1.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Labor force, female, per square kilometre 14.63 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) 118.8% (2025)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female 11.85 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male 11.94 years (2019)
- Proportion of women in ministerial level positions 19.7% (2025)
- Own-account workers, female (% of female employment) 30.6% (2016)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in Low & middle income?
- Literacy rate, adult female in Low & middle income was 81.9% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 81.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.8% in 1975.
- How does Low & middle income rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- Low & middle income ranks 21st out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low & middle 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.