Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, both sexes (number) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
42
Highest
9.75 million
Pakistan
Lowest
2
Uzbekistan
Median
34,596
Years covered
49
1976–2024
Data points
391
What the numbers show
Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, both sexes (number) is currently reported for 42 countries. The highest value is 9.75 million in Pakistan; the lowest is 2 in Uzbekistan.
The median across all reporting countries is 34,596, and the mean is 490,283.
Over the past decade 11 countries rose and 30 fell. The largest increase was in Azerbaijan (up 147.1%), and the largest decrease in Türkiye (down 95.2%).
Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, both sexes: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pakistan | 9.75 million | 2019 | up 6.2% | rising |
| 2 | Burkina Faso | 1.80 million | 2019 | up 10.4% | rising |
| 3 | Mali | 1.62 million | 2018 | up 22.3% | rising |
| 4 | Mozambique | 1.53 million | 2020 | up 32.5% | rising |
| 5 | Uganda | 1.29 million | 2014 | up 49.5% | rising |
| 6 | Bangladesh | 1.07 million | 2022 | down 78.1% | volatile |
| 7 | Egypt | 1.05 million | 2013 | down 45.5% | falling |
| 8 | Senegal | 588,868 | 2017 | down 26.5% | falling |
| 9 | Morocco | 501,577 | 2014 | down 63.4% | falling |
| 10 | Togo | 153,086 | 2019 | down 15.1% | falling |
| 11 | Guatemala | 129,711 | 2018 | down 19.5% | falling |
| 12 | South Africa | 128,488 | 2024 | up 77.0% | volatile |
| 13 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 124,540 | 2016 | down 67.1% | volatile |
| 14 | Thailand | 124,150 | 2018 | down 29.2% | falling |
| 15 | Cambodia | 117,212 | 2019 | down 69.6% | falling |
| 16 | Philippines | 110,815 | 2020 | down 60.7% | volatile |
| 17 | Mexico | 94,830 | 2020 | down 43.7% | falling |
| 18 | Brazil | 90,795 | 2018 | down 52.3% | falling |
| 19 | Indonesia | 85,458 | 2020 | down 83.3% | volatile |
| 20 | Honduras | 60,247 | 2019 | down 12.3% | falling |
| 21 | Colombia | 34,876 | 2020 | down 56.8% | falling |
| 22 | Sri Lanka | 34,315 | 2024 | down 7.9% | volatile |
| 23 | Peru | 13,189 | 2020 | down 68.1% | volatile |
| 24 | Türkiye | 11,825 | 2015 | down 95.2% | volatile |
| 25 | Dominican Republic | 11,533 | 2024 | down 55.7% | falling |
| 26 | Malaysia | 10,290 | 2022 | down 79.2% | falling |
| 27 | El Salvador | 9,978 | 2024 | down 58.1% | volatile |
| 28 | Paraguay | 8,064 | 2020 | down 9.0% | falling |
| 29 | Ecuador | 6,299 | 2022 | down 58.7% | volatile |
| 30 | Panama | 5,928 | 2019 | down 49.3% | falling |
| 31 | Chile | 4,069 | 2017 | up 53.8% | falling |
| 32 | Kuwait | 3,981 | 2018 | down 37.4% | falling |
| 33 | Jordan | 3,695 | 2024 | up 67.3% | flat |
| 34 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 3,006 | 2023 | down 69.8% | volatile |
| 35 | Spain | 2,666 | 2020 | down 44.9% | falling |
| 36 | Azerbaijan | 1,280 | 2023 | up 147.1% | rising |
| 37 | Georgia | 1,023 | 2024 | up 2.9% | rising |
| 38 | Palestine, State of | 815 | 2022 | up 26.4% | volatile |
| 39 | Oman | 545 | 2022 | down 88.3% | volatile |
| 40 | Armenia | 304 | 2020 | down 46.9% | rising |
| 41 | Uruguay | 111 | 2022 | down 43.9% | volatile |
| 42 | Uzbekistan | 2 | 2022 | unchanged | flat |
About this data
February 2026 Data Release