Literacy rate, youth male in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Literacy rate, youth male was 98.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, youth male in Latin America & Caribbean, 1974–2024
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 Latin America & Caribbean stood at 98.5%. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth male in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 98.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 88.3%, in 1974.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 14th out of 40 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Literacy rate, youth male in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 88.3% | — |
| 1975 | 88.4% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 88.5% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 88.6% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 88.7% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 88.7% | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 88.6% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 88.6% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 88.6% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 88.6% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 88.6% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 88.6% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 88.7% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 88.8% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 89.0% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 89.2% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 89.3% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 90.1% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 90.9% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 91.7% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 92.5% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 93.3% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 93.7% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 93.8% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 94.1% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 94.3% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 94.5% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 94.7% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 95.2% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 96.0% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 96.0% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 96.2% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 96.5% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 96.7% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 96.9% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 97.1% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 97.0% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 97.5% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 97.7% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 97.6% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 98.0% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 98.1% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.2% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 98.3% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 98.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 98.3% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 98.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 98.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 98.5% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 88.5% | 88.3% | 88.7% | 6 |
| 1980s | 88.7% | 88.6% | 89.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 92.4% | 89.3% | 94.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 96.0% | 94.5% | 97.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 97.9% | 97.0% | 98.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.4% | 98.3% | 98.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More education data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.34 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 63.30 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 61.44 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1923 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0928 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 22.1% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, youth male in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Literacy rate, youth male in Latin America & Caribbean was 98.5% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, youth male recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 98.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, youth male recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 88.3% in 1974.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for literacy rate, youth male?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 14th out of 40 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, youth male rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.