Literacy rate, youth male in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Literacy rate, youth male was 78.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, youth male in Africa Western and Central, 1985–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15-24.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, youth male in Africa Western and Central stood at 78.2%. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth male in Africa Western and Central peaked at 78.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 65.4%, in 1985.
That places Africa Western and Central 39th 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 male in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 65.4% | — |
| 1986 | 65.7% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 66.2% | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 66.4% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 66.9% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 67.2% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 67.6% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 68.0% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 68.4% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 69.0% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 68.2% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 68.6% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 69.2% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 70.5% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 70.8% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 69.0% | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 70.0% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 70.0% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 69.8% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 71.2% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 71.2% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 71.4% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 70.6% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 70.3% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 70.5% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 70.5% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 71.2% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 72.0% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 73.0% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 73.5% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 74.2% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 74.3% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 75.3% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 77.2% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 76.9% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 77.0% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 77.4% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 77.7% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 78.0% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 78.2% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 66.1% | 65.4% | 66.9% | 5 |
| 1990s | 68.8% | 67.2% | 70.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 70.4% | 69.0% | 71.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.8% | 70.5% | 77.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.7% | 77.0% | 78.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
More education data for Africa Western and Central
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.08 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 35.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 75.77 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9058 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1455 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 56.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, youth male in Africa Western and Central?
- Literacy rate, youth male in Africa Western and Central was 78.2% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, youth male recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 78.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, youth male recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.4% in 1985.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for literacy rate, youth male?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 39th out of 40 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, youth male rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, youth male (% of males 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.