Literacy rate, youth total in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Literacy rate, youth total was 80.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, youth total in Least developed countries, 1981–2024
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 Least developed countries stood at 80.4%. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth total in Least developed countries peaked at 80.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 50.8%, in 1981.
Least developed countries ranks 32nd of 40 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Literacy rate, youth total in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 50.8% | — |
| 1982 | 51.3% | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 51.7% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 52.1% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 52.6% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 53.0% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 53.5% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 54.9% | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 55.6% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 56.2% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 56.3% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 56.4% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 56.7% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 57.4% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 58.3% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 58.8% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 59.3% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 60.7% | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 61.8% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 62.4% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 63.2% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 64.9% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 65.6% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 66.4% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 66.8% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 63.6% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 64.8% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 65.2% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 66.2% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 69.7% | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 71.8% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 72.5% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 75.2% | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 75.5% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 76.6% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 77.8% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 78.7% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 78.7% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 79.1% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 79.2% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 79.6% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 79.7% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 80.1% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 80.4% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 52.8% | 50.8% | 55.6% | 9 |
| 1990s | 58.2% | 56.2% | 61.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 64.9% | 62.4% | 66.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.6% | 69.7% | 79.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.8% | 79.2% | 80.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More education data for Least developed countries
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 4.43 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 75.92 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 171.01 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1441 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 38.4% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, youth total in Least developed countries?
- Literacy rate, youth total in Least developed countries was 80.4% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 80.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.8% in 1981.
- How does Least developed countries rank for literacy rate, youth total?
- Least developed countries ranks 32nd out of 40 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, youth total rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.