Youth/adult literacy rate in Northern Africa
Northern Africa: Youth/adult literacy rate was 90.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
90.2%
Change on year
up 0.4%
Rank
13th
of 18 groups
All-time high
90.2%
in 2024
All-time low
79.3%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Youth/adult literacy rate in Northern Africa, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, youth/adult literacy rate in Northern Africa stood at 90.2%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth/adult literacy rate in Northern Africa peaked at 90.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 79.3%, in 2000.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Youth/adult literacy rate in Northern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 79.3% | — |
| 2001 | 80.4% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 81.3% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 83.2% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 84.0% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 84.6% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 82.2% | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 83.3% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 84.3% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 84.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 85.1% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 85.8% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 87.6% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 89.0% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 88.9% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 89.3% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 86.9% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 87.5% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 88.0% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 88.4% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 88.8% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 89.1% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 89.5% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 89.8% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 90.2% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 82.7% | 79.3% | 84.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.7% | 85.1% | 89.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.5% | 88.8% | 90.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Northern Africa
More education data for Northern Africa
- Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex 30.1% (2025)
- Adjusted gender parity index for participation rate in formal and 0.96 ratio (2024)
- Participation rate in formal and non-formal education and training 51.2% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to electricity, by education level 86.5% (2024)
- Adjusted gender parity index for completion rate, by location, wealth 1.09 ratio (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to computers for pedagogical 89.6% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to basic drinking water, by 90.4% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to the internet for pedagogical 58.5% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with basic handwashing facilities, by education 89.5% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to single-sex basic sanitation, by 83.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth/adult literacy rate in Northern Africa?
- Youth/adult literacy rate in Northern Africa was 90.2% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest youth/adult literacy rate recorded in Northern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 90.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest youth/adult literacy rate recorded in Northern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.3% in 2000.
- How does Northern Africa rank for youth/adult literacy rate?
- Northern Africa ranks 13th out of 18 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth/adult literacy rate rising or falling in Northern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Northern Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Youth/adult literacy rate (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).