Literacy rate, adult female in Small states
Small states: Literacy rate, adult female was 86.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in Small states, 1986–2024
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 Small states stood at 86.2%. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Small states peaked at 86.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 73.9%, in 1986.
Small states ranks 16th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in Small states, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 73.9% | — |
| 1987 | 74.3% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 75.1% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 75.7% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 76.1% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 76.4% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 76.6% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 76.9% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 77.1% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 77.4% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 77.9% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 78.3% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 78.8% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 79.2% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 79.7% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 80.1% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 80.6% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 81.1% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 81.5% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 80.9% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 80.7% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 81.2% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 81.8% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 81.9% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 82.1% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 82.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 82.8% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 83.0% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 83.3% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 83.8% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 84.7% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 84.9% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 85.2% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 85.5% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 85.4% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 85.7% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 85.9% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 86.1% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 86.2% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 74.8% | 73.9% | 75.7% | 4 |
| 1990s | 77.5% | 76.1% | 79.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.9% | 79.7% | 81.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.8% | 82.1% | 85.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.9% | 85.4% | 86.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Small states
More gender data for Small states
- Labor force, female 3.83 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.1883 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 1.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- Labor force, female, per square kilometre 4.98 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-49, female 4.89 per 1,000 uninfected female population ages 15-49 (1996)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-49, male 4.21 per 1,000 uninfected male population ages 15-49 (1996)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-24, female 5.42 per 1,000 uninfected female population ages 15-24 (1996)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-24, male 3.77 per 1,000 uninfected male population ages 15-24 (1996)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) 124.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in Small states?
- Literacy rate, adult female in Small states was 86.2% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 86.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.9% in 1986.
- How does Small states rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- Small states ranks 16th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Small states 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.