Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female was 43.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female in Sri Lanka, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female in Sri Lanka stood at 43.0%.
That represents a change of up 26.5% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female in Sri Lanka peaked at 62.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 12.0%, in 2019.
That places Sri Lanka 23rd out of 42 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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, urban, % female in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 53.0% | — |
| 2001 | 40.0% | -24.5% |
| 2006 | 40.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 34.0% | -15.0% |
| 2010 | 27.0% | -20.6% |
| 2016 | 46.0% | +70.4% |
| 2017 | 41.0% | -10.9% |
| 2018 | 33.0% | -19.5% |
| 2019 | 12.0% | -63.6% |
| 2020 | 43.0% | +258.3% |
| 2021 | 62.0% | +44.2% |
| 2022 | 27.0% | -56.5% |
| 2023 | 34.0% | +25.9% |
| 2024 | 43.0% | +26.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 53.0% | 53.0% | 53.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 38.0% | 34.0% | 40.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 31.8% | 12.0% | 46.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 41.8% | 27.0% | 62.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
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, urban, % female in Sri Lanka?
- Illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female in Sri Lanka was 43.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 62.0% in 2021.
- What is the lowest illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.0% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female?
- Sri Lanka ranks 23rd out of 42 countries with data for 2024.
- Is illiterate youth population, 15-24 years, urban, % female rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. 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, urban, % female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release