Literacy rate, youth male in Gambia

Gambia: Literacy rate, youth male was 72.0% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
72.0%
Change on year
down 3.9%
World rank
89th
of 95 countries
All-time high
78.4%
in 2013
All-time low
64.3%
in 2000
Years of data
5
2000–2021

Literacy rate, youth male in Gambia, 2000–2021

0204060802000201020212000: 64.3 % of males ages 15-242013: 78.4 % of males ages 15-242015: 70.7 % of males ages 15-242018: 75 % of males ages 15-242021: 72 % of males ages 15-24

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15-24.

Analysis

Gambia recorded 72.0% for literacy rate, youth male in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.9% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth male in Gambia peaked at 78.4% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 64.3%, in 2000.

Gambia ranks 89th of 95 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Literacy rate, youth male in Gambia, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) in Gambia, 2000 to 2021.
Year % of males ages 15-24 Change
2000 64.3%
2013 78.4% +21.8%
2015 70.7% -9.8%
2018 75.0% +6.0%
2021 72.0% -3.9%

Gambia compared with similar countries

  • Gambia's 72.0% is below the median for low income countries, which is 79.8%, 90% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
  • Gambia's 72.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 87.5%, 82% of the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 64.3% 64.3% 64.3% 1
2010s 74.7% 70.7% 78.4% 3
2020s 72.0% 72.0% 72.0% 1

Countries ranked near Gambia

  1. 86 Mozambique 78.4% compare
  2. 87 Sierra Leone 78.2% compare
  3. 88 Benin 74.6% compare
  4. 90 Guinea 69.6% compare
  5. 91 Senegal 69.3% compare
  6. 92 Burkina Faso 65.5% compare

See the full ranking of 135 places →

More education data for Gambia

All data for Gambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, youth male in Gambia?
Literacy rate, youth male in Gambia was 72.0% in 2021, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest literacy rate, youth male recorded in Gambia?
The highest recorded value was 78.4% in 2013.
What is the lowest literacy rate, youth male recorded in Gambia?
The lowest recorded value was 64.3% in 2000.
How does Gambia rank for literacy rate, youth male?
Gambia ranks 89th out of 95 countries with data for 2021.
Is literacy rate, youth male rising or falling in Gambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Gambia 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Literacy rate, youth male in Gambia. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-youth-male-percent-of-males-ages-15-24/gambia-the/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-youth-male-percent-of-males-ages-15-24/gambia-the/">Literacy rate, youth male in Gambia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24)
Unit
% of males ages 15-24
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
135 places, 2,765 data points, 1974–2024
Last refreshed

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.