The clustered bar chart delineates estimated illiteracy rates by gender across six global regions in the year 2000.
Overall, illiteracy was more common among females than males in every region, with the gap being particularly large in developing areas such as South Asia and the Arab States.
In developed countries, both genders had extremely low illiteracy levels, close to 1%. Similarly, Latin America and East Asia showed slightly higher rates, but the gender difference remained minor, with women only slightly more affected than men.
In Sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab States, the illiteracy rates rose significantly. In Sub-Saharan Africa, about 30% of men were illiterate, compared to nearly 50% of females. A similar pattern can be seen in the Arab States, where female illiteracy stood at 50%, while male figure was around 28%.South Asia recorded the highest illiteracy rates, with nearly half of women unable to read or write, and around 30% of men also illiterate.