Literacy rate, youth total in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Literacy rate, youth total was 83.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, youth total in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1987–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15-24.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, youth total in Africa Eastern and Southern stood at 83.4%. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth total in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 83.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 69.0%, in 1987.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 29th of 40 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Literacy rate, youth total in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 69.0% | — |
| 1988 | 69.3% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 69.8% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 70.5% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 70.6% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 70.2% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 70.4% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 70.4% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 70.8% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 71.0% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 71.4% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 70.6% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 71.5% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 71.6% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 71.7% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 73.6% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 73.7% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 73.8% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 73.0% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 71.0% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 72.2% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 72.6% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 73.2% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 74.5% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 77.0% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 78.9% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 79.8% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 79.9% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 80.2% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 80.9% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 81.1% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 81.8% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 82.4% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 82.5% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 82.7% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 82.9% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 83.1% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 83.4% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 69.4% | 69.0% | 69.8% | 3 |
| 1990s | 70.7% | 70.2% | 71.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.6% | 71.0% | 73.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.6% | 74.5% | 82.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.9% | 82.5% | 83.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More education data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 46.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 121.03 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1573 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 56.6% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.0% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.06 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, youth total in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Literacy rate, youth total in Africa Eastern and Southern was 83.4% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 83.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.0% in 1987.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for literacy rate, youth total?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 29th out of 40 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, youth total rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, youth total (% of people 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.