Literacy rate, adult female in World
World: Literacy rate, adult female was 84.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in World, 1976–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
World recorded 84.6% for literacy rate, adult female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in World peaked at 84.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 56.7%, in 1976.
That places World 17th out of 39 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in World, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 56.7% | — |
| 1977 | 57.1% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 57.8% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 58.6% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 59.4% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 60.1% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 60.9% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 61.6% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 62.4% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 63.2% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 63.9% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 64.7% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 66.6% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 67.2% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 68.0% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 68.5% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 69.0% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 69.5% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 70.0% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 70.6% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 71.2% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 74.0% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 75.2% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 75.7% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 75.9% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 76.3% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 76.7% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 77.2% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 77.6% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 77.5% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 77.6% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 78.4% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 78.9% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 79.3% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 80.2% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 80.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 80.8% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 81.2% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 81.7% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 82.1% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 82.6% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 82.8% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 83.2% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 83.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 83.6% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 83.8% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 84.1% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 84.4% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 84.6% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 57.5% | 56.7% | 58.6% | 4 |
| 1980s | 63.0% | 59.4% | 67.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.2% | 68.0% | 75.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.5% | 75.9% | 79.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.9% | 80.2% | 83.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.1% | 83.6% | 84.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near World
More gender data for World
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 1.96 million (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.4902 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 6.61 million (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 6.61 million (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.16 % change on previous year (2030)
- Inactivity rate (ILO modelled estimates) 39.48 (2027)
- Prevalence of obesity, female 15.1% (2016)
- Prevalence of obesity, male 11.1% (2016)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), per capita 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), per capita 0.0008 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in World?
- Literacy rate, adult female in World was 84.6% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 84.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.7% in 1976.
- How does World rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- World ranks 17th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.