Literacy rate, youth total in World
World: Literacy rate, youth total was 93.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, youth total in World, 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 World is 93.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth total in World peaked at 93.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 75.1%, in 1975.
World ranks 21st 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 World, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 75.1% | — |
| 1976 | 75.1% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 75.4% | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 76.0% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 76.7% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 77.2% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 77.8% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 78.3% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 78.8% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 79.3% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 79.8% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 80.3% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 81.1% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 81.7% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 82.1% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 82.5% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 82.9% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 83.3% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 83.6% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 84.0% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 84.3% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 84.6% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 85.5% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 86.3% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 86.7% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 86.7% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 87.0% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 87.5% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 87.9% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 88.3% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 88.5% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 88.3% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 88.6% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 89.0% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 89.3% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 89.7% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 90.1% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 90.4% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 90.9% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 91.1% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 91.4% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 91.6% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 91.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 91.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 92.5% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 92.6% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 92.8% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 92.8% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 93.0% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 93.1% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 75.6% | 75.1% | 76.7% | 5 |
| 1980s | 79.7% | 77.2% | 82.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 84.4% | 82.5% | 86.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 88.1% | 86.7% | 89.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 91.1% | 89.7% | 92.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 92.9% | 92.6% | 93.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near World
More education data for World
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 651.68 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 780.85 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0959 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 65.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, youth total in World?
- Literacy rate, youth total in World was 93.1% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, youth total recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 93.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, youth total recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 75.1% in 1975.
- How does World rank for literacy rate, youth total?
- World ranks 21st out of 40 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, youth total rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this 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.