Literacy rate, youth total in OECD members

OECD members: Literacy rate, youth total was 99.3% in 2022. ▬ Flat

Latest (2022)
99.3%
Change on year
up 0.0%
Rank
8th
of 40 groups
All-time high
99.3%
in 2022
All-time low
98.4%
in 2004
Years of data
7
2004–2022

Literacy rate, youth total in OECD members, 2004–2022

0204060801002004201320222004: 98.4 % of people ages 15-242005: 98.5 % of people ages 15-242018: 99.2 % of people ages 15-242019: 99.2 % of people ages 15-242020: 99.2 % of people ages 15-242021: 99.3 % of people ages 15-242022: 99.3 % of people ages 15-24

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15-24.

Analysis

In 2022, literacy rate, youth total in OECD members stood at 99.3%. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.1% over five years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth total in OECD members peaked at 99.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 98.4%, in 2004.

OECD members ranks 8th of 40 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

Literacy rate, youth total in OECD members, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24) in OECD members, 2004 to 2022.
Year % of people ages 15-24 Change
2004 98.4%
2005 98.5% +0.1%
2018 99.2% +0.8%
2019 99.2% +0.0%
2020 99.2% -0.0%
2021 99.3% +0.0%
2022 99.3% +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 98.4% 98.4% 98.5% 2
2010s 99.2% 99.2% 99.2% 2
2020s 99.3% 99.2% 99.3% 3

Countries ranked near OECD members

  1. 5 Azerbaijan 99.9% compare
  2. 6 Belarus 99.9% compare
  3. 7 Republic of Moldova 99.8% compare
  4. 8 Mauritius 99.8% compare
  5. 9 Macau, China 99.8% compare
  6. 10 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 99.8% compare
  7. 11 Philippines 99.8% compare

See the full ranking of 135 places →

More education data for OECD members

All data for OECD members →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, youth total in OECD members?
Literacy rate, youth total in OECD members was 99.3% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest literacy rate, youth total recorded in OECD members?
The highest recorded value was 99.3% in 2022.
What is the lowest literacy rate, youth total recorded in OECD members?
The lowest recorded value was 98.4% in 2004.
How does OECD members rank for literacy rate, youth total?
OECD members ranks 8th out of 40 groups with data for 2022.
Where does this OECD members 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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Literacy rate, youth total in OECD members. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-youth-total-percent-of-people-ages-15-24/oecd-members/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24)
Unit
% of people ages 15-24
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
135 places, 2,762 data points, 1974–2024
Last refreshed

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.