Literacy rate, youth female in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Literacy rate, youth female was 76.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, youth female in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1985–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15-24.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, youth female in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 76.6%. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth female in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 76.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 54.7%, in 1985.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 33rd out of 40 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Literacy rate, youth female in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 54.7% | — |
| 1986 | 55.1% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 56.0% | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 56.6% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 57.3% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 58.2% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 58.8% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 59.1% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 59.8% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 60.4% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 60.9% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 61.7% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 62.6% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 62.7% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 63.5% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 61.0% | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 61.9% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 62.3% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 62.9% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 63.5% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 63.2% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 62.1% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 62.3% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 62.7% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 63.1% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 64.3% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 67.0% | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 68.6% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 69.7% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 70.4% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 71.3% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 72.2% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 73.0% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 74.7% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 75.0% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 75.2% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 75.6% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 76.0% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 76.3% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 76.6% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 55.9% | 54.7% | 57.3% | 5 |
| 1990s | 60.8% | 58.2% | 63.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.5% | 61.0% | 63.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.6% | 64.3% | 75.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 75.9% | 75.2% | 76.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.80 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.43 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9738 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, youth female in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Literacy rate, youth female in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 76.6% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, youth female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 76.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, youth female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.7% in 1985.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for literacy rate, youth female?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 33rd out of 40 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, youth female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.