Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, both sexes (number) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
42
Highest
2.71 million
Pakistan
Lowest
2
Uzbekistan
Median
28,447
Years covered
49
1976–2024
Data points
391
What the numbers show
Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, both sexes (number) is currently reported for 42 countries. The highest value is 2.71 million in Pakistan; the lowest is 2 in Uzbekistan.
The median across all reporting countries is 28,447, and the mean is 164,477.
Over the past decade 15 countries rose and 26 fell. The largest increase was in South Africa (up 245.5%), and the largest decrease in Indonesia (down 88.6%).
Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, both sexes: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pakistan | 2.71 million | 2019 | up 1.8% | rising |
| 2 | Bangladesh | 1.07 million | 2022 | down 42.8% | falling |
| 3 | Egypt | 347,487 | 2013 | down 44.4% | falling |
| 4 | Burkina Faso | 337,888 | 2019 | up 104.8% | rising |
| 5 | Senegal | 328,249 | 2017 | down 7.4% | flat |
| 6 | Mozambique | 289,539 | 2020 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 7 | Mali | 273,909 | 2018 | down 29.9% | falling |
| 8 | Uganda | 215,712 | 2014 | up 233.1% | volatile |
| 9 | Brazil | 177,000 | 2018 | down 38.0% | falling |
| 10 | South Africa | 167,500 | 2024 | up 245.5% | volatile |
| 11 | Morocco | 167,239 | 2014 | down 62.3% | falling |
| 12 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 122,543 | 2016 | down 48.8% | volatile |
| 13 | Mexico | 106,505 | 2020 | down 34.0% | falling |
| 14 | Guatemala | 62,992 | 2018 | up 46.6% | falling |
| 15 | Malaysia | 61,361 | 2022 | up 47.8% | rising |
| 16 | Philippines | 56,812 | 2020 | down 45.7% | falling |
| 17 | Türkiye | 52,846 | 2015 | down 77.8% | volatile |
| 18 | Thailand | 52,409 | 2018 | down 71.2% | volatile |
| 19 | Colombia | 49,228 | 2020 | down 30.6% | falling |
| 20 | Togo | 35,547 | 2019 | down 41.5% | falling |
| 21 | Cambodia | 32,005 | 2019 | up 25.5% | falling |
| 22 | Jordan | 24,889 | 2024 | up 147.6% | rising |
| 23 | Chile | 23,054 | 2017 | up 58.3% | rising |
| 24 | Dominican Republic | 21,426 | 2024 | up 29.1% | falling |
| 25 | Honduras | 21,228 | 2019 | up 33.5% | rising |
| 26 | Peru | 18,112 | 2020 | down 36.1% | falling |
| 27 | Spain | 15,337 | 2020 | up 1.5% | falling |
| 28 | Indonesia | 12,369 | 2020 | down 88.6% | volatile |
| 29 | El Salvador | 10,871 | 2024 | down 12.5% | falling |
| 30 | Paraguay | 8,174 | 2020 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 31 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 7,924 | 2023 | down 20.9% | falling |
| 32 | Ecuador | 5,784 | 2022 | down 69.3% | falling |
| 33 | Palestine, State of | 5,622 | 2022 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 34 | Sri Lanka | 5,219 | 2024 | down 27.5% | volatile |
| 35 | Uruguay | 4,298 | 2022 | down 18.6% | falling |
| 36 | Panama | 1,808 | 2019 | down 44.7% | falling |
| 37 | Oman | 1,641 | 2022 | down 80.6% | volatile |
| 38 | Georgia | 442 | 2024 | down 19.5% | falling |
| 39 | Azerbaijan | 420 | 2023 | up 35.0% | rising |
| 40 | Armenia | 126 | 2020 | down 45.2% | falling |
| 41 | Kuwait | 21 | 2018 | down 61.1% | volatile |
| 42 | Uzbekistan | 2 | 2022 | unchanged | flat |
About this data
February 2026 Data Release