Sri Lanka vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Literacy rate, youth total
Sri Lanka
98.9%
in 2024
Sub-Saharan Africa
79.0%
in 2024
Sri Lanka rank
34th
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
34th
Literacy rate, youth total over time
- Sri Lanka
- Sub-Saharan Africa
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 98.9% against 79.0% in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 19.9%.
That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.3 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Sri Lanka has been ahead every year.
Sri Lanka ranks 34th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 34th of 95 countries.
Sri Lanka has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sri Lanka | Sub-Saharan Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 97.0% | 68.0% | 29.0% | Sri Lanka |
| 2010s | 98.6% | 75.3% | 23.3% | Sri Lanka |
| 2020s | 98.9% | 78.5% | 20.4% | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher literacy rate, youth total, Sri Lanka or Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Sri Lanka, at 98.9% against 79.0% in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in literacy rate, youth total between Sri Lanka and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 19.9%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sri Lanka and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2024.
- How do Sri Lanka and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for literacy rate, youth total?
- Sri Lanka ranks 34th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 34th of 95 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.