Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female was 41.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female in Sri Lanka, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 41.0% for illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.4% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female in Sri Lanka peaked at 54.0% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 28.0%, in 2022.
Sri Lanka ranks 30th of 42 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 54.0% | — |
| 2001 | 44.0% | -18.5% |
| 2006 | 41.0% | -6.8% |
| 2008 | 35.0% | -14.6% |
| 2010 | 40.0% | +14.3% |
| 2016 | 39.0% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 36.0% | -7.7% |
| 2018 | 39.0% | +8.3% |
| 2019 | 41.0% | +5.1% |
| 2020 | 37.0% | -9.8% |
| 2021 | 37.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 28.0% | -24.3% |
| 2023 | 42.0% | +50.0% |
| 2024 | 41.0% | -2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 54.0% | 54.0% | 54.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 40.0% | 35.0% | 44.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 39.0% | 36.0% | 41.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 37.0% | 28.0% | 42.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 27 Bangladesh 45.0% compare
- 28 Ecuador 42.0% compare
- 28 Philippines 42.0% compare
- 30 Armenia 41.0% compare
- 30 Uruguay 41.0% compare
- 33 Dominican Republic 37.0% compare
- 33 El Salvador 37.0% compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female in Sri Lanka?
- Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female in Sri Lanka was 41.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 54.0% in 1981.
- What is the lowest illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.0% in 2022.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female?
- Sri Lanka ranks 30th out of 42 countries with data for 2024.
- Is illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, rural, % female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release