Literacy rate, adult female in Senegal
Senegal: Literacy rate, adult female was 41.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in Senegal, 1988–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
Senegal recorded 41.5% for literacy rate, adult female in 2023. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of up 22.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Senegal peaked at 41.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 1988.
Senegal ranks 81st of 89 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in Senegal, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 17.9% | — |
| 2002 | 29.2% | +63.8% |
| 2006 | 33.0% | +12.8% |
| 2009 | 37.4% | +13.4% |
| 2011 | 40.2% | +7.6% |
| 2013 | 33.8% | -16.1% |
| 2015 | 35.2% | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 37.7% | +7.1% |
| 2017 | 39.8% | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 40.6% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 38.5% | -5.1% |
| 2023 | 41.5% | +7.7% |
Senegal compared with similar countries
- Senegal's 41.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 71.4%, 58% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Senegal's 41.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 63.2%, 66% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 17.9% | 17.9% | 17.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 33.2% | 29.2% | 37.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 38.0% | 33.8% | 40.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 41.5% | 41.5% | 41.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
- 78 Ethiopia 50.0% compare
- 79 Pakistan 48.5% compare
- 80 Benin 41.5% compare
- 82 Cote d'Ivoire 40.3% compare
- 83 Burkina Faso 35.7% compare
- 84 Sierra Leone 33.9% compare
More gender data for Senegal
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 7,600 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.35 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 13,563 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 13,563 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.69 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 263,002 people (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 269,605 people (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 257,895 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 263,988 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 250,294 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in Senegal?
- Literacy rate, adult female in Senegal was 41.5% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 41.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 1988.
- How does Senegal rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- Senegal ranks 81st out of 89 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Senegal 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.