Literacy rate, youth total in Arab World
Arab World: Literacy rate, youth total was 90.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, youth total in Arab World, 1980–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15-24.
Analysis
Arab World recorded 90.2% for literacy rate, youth total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth total in Arab World peaked at 90.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 66.2%, in 1980.
That places Arab World 27th 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 45 years of available data.
Literacy rate, youth total in Arab World, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 66.2% | — |
| 1981 | 66.7% | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 67.3% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 67.7% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 68.6% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 69.5% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 70.4% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 71.2% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 72.2% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 73.1% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 74.2% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 75.4% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 76.4% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 76.1% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 76.8% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 77.6% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 78.5% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 79.3% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 80.1% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 80.8% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 81.5% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 82.3% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 83.0% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 84.1% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 84.7% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 85.1% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 83.8% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 84.7% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 85.4% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 85.5% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 86.0% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 86.5% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 87.6% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 88.6% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 88.7% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 89.0% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 87.7% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 88.3% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 88.6% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 88.9% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 89.2% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 89.5% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 89.7% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 90.0% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 90.2% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 69.3% | 66.2% | 73.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.5% | 74.2% | 80.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 84.0% | 81.5% | 85.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.0% | 86.0% | 89.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.7% | 89.2% | 90.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
More education data for Arab World
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.58 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 40.79 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 55.62 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.7891 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1129 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 32.0% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, youth total in Arab World?
- Literacy rate, youth total in Arab World was 90.2% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 90.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.2% in 1980.
- How does Arab World rank for literacy rate, youth total?
- Arab World ranks 27th out of 40 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, youth total rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Arab World 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.