Literacy rate, adult female in Upper middle income
Upper middle income: Literacy rate, adult female was 94.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in Upper middle income, 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 Upper middle income is 94.9%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Upper middle income peaked at 94.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 55.4%, in 1974.
Upper middle income ranks 10th of 39 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in Upper middle income, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 55.4% | — |
| 1975 | 55.4% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 55.7% | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 56.1% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 57.3% | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 58.7% | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 60.0% | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 61.2% | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 62.4% | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 63.5% | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 65.0% | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 66.1% | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 67.2% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 68.3% | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 72.6% | +6.3% |
| 1989 | 73.5% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 74.4% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 75.1% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 75.8% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 76.5% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 77.1% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 77.9% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 78.5% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 84.6% | +7.8% |
| 1998 | 85.1% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 85.6% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 86.1% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 86.6% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 87.0% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 87.6% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 88.0% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 88.3% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 88.8% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 90.2% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 90.8% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 91.3% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 91.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 91.8% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 92.2% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 92.3% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 92.9% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 93.0% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 93.3% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 93.5% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 93.7% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 94.1% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 94.2% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 94.3% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 94.5% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 94.7% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 94.9% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 56.4% | 55.4% | 58.7% | 6 |
| 1980s | 66.0% | 60.0% | 73.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 79.1% | 74.4% | 85.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 88.5% | 86.1% | 91.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 92.8% | 91.6% | 94.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.5% | 94.2% | 94.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Upper middle income
More gender data for Upper middle income
- Labor force, female 654.85 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.2127 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 0.4977 % 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) 113.1% (2025)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female 14.61 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male 14.13 years (2019)
- Proportion of women in ministerial level positions 19.4% (2025)
- Own-account workers, female (% of female employment) 20.3% (2016)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in Upper middle income?
- Literacy rate, adult female in Upper middle income was 94.9% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Upper middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 94.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Upper middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.4% in 1974.
- How does Upper middle income rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- Upper middle income ranks 10th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Upper middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Upper 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.