Literacy rate, youth total in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Literacy rate, youth total was 92.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, youth total in Low & middle income, 1975–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15-24.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, youth total in Low & middle income is 92.3%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth total in Low & middle income peaked at 92.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 70.4%, in 1975.
Low & middle income ranks 24th of 40 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Literacy rate, youth total in Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 70.4% | — |
| 1976 | 70.5% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 70.8% | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 71.6% | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 72.5% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 73.3% | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 74.0% | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 74.7% | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 75.2% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 76.0% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 76.7% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 77.3% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 78.2% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 79.0% | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 79.4% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 79.9% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 80.4% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 80.8% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 81.2% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 81.6% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 81.9% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 82.3% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 83.3% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 84.3% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 84.7% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 84.8% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 85.1% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 85.7% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 86.3% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 86.7% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 87.0% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 86.7% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 87.1% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 87.6% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 87.9% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 88.3% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 88.8% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 89.2% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 89.7% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 90.0% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 90.3% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 90.5% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 90.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 90.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 91.6% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 91.8% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 91.9% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 92.0% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 92.2% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 92.3% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 71.2% | 70.4% | 72.5% | 5 |
| 1980s | 76.4% | 73.3% | 79.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 82.0% | 79.9% | 84.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 86.5% | 84.8% | 87.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 90.0% | 88.3% | 91.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 92.0% | 91.8% | 92.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More education data for Low & middle income
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 554.22 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 26.3% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.3% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 27.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 701.53 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1043 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, youth total in Low & middle income?
- Literacy rate, youth total in Low & middle income was 92.3% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 92.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.4% in 1975.
- How does Low & middle income rank for literacy rate, youth total?
- Low & middle income ranks 24th out of 40 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, youth total rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low & middle income 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.