Youth/adult literacy rate in World
World: Youth/adult literacy rate was 93.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
93.1%
Change on year
up 0.1%
Rank
11th
of 15 groups
All-time high
93.1%
in 2024
All-time low
86.7%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Youth/adult literacy rate in World, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2024, youth/adult literacy rate in World stood at 93.1%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth/adult literacy rate in World peaked at 93.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 86.7%, in 2000.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Youth/adult literacy rate in World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 86.7% | — |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 65.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0042 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 34.10 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 101.5% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 102.8% (2024)
- Labor force, total, per capita 0.4548 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth/adult literacy rate in World?
- Youth/adult literacy rate in World was 93.1% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest youth/adult literacy rate recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 93.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest youth/adult literacy rate recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 86.7% in 2000.
- How does World rank for youth/adult literacy rate?
- World ranks 11th out of 15 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth/adult literacy rate 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 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).