Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100)

ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100): Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes was 55.69 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
55.69 million
Change on year
up 1.5%
Rank
14th
of 204 groups
All-time high
57.19 million
in 2009
All-time low
37.53 million
in 1982
Years of data
43
1982–2024

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100), 1982–2024

020.0M40.0M60.0M1982200320241982: 37.5M1983: 38.4M1984: 38.9M1985: 39.3M1986: 39.9M1987: 40.1M1988: 40.6M1989: 41.0M1990: 41.3M1991: 41.7M1992: 42.5M1993: 43.7M1994: 44.1M1995: 45.3M1996: 45.8M1997: 46.1M1998: 47.1M1999: 47.3M2000: 50.7M2001: 51.0M2002: 50.3M2003: 50.7M2004: 50.9M2005: 52.7M2006: 55.2M2007: 56.0M2008: 56.4M2009: 57.2M2010: 56.6M2011: 54.1M2012: 52.0M2013: 50.9M2014: 51.4M2015: 51.3M2016: 52.5M2017: 52.4M2018: 50.8M2019: 51.5M2020: 52.5M2021: 53.3M2022: 54.1M2023: 54.9M2024: 55.7M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2024, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100) stood at 55.69 million.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 8.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100) peaked at 57.19 million in 2009 and was at its lowest, 37.53 million, in 1982.

That places ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100) 14th out of 204 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100), year by year

Annual values for Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes (number) in ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100), 1982 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1982 37.53 million
1983 38.39 million +2.3%
1984 38.88 million +1.3%
1985 39.31 million +1.1%
1986 39.85 million +1.4%
1987 40.10 million +0.6%
1988 40.64 million +1.3%
1989 40.96 million +0.8%
1990 41.28 million +0.8%
1991 41.73 million +1.1%
1992 42.54 million +1.9%
1993 43.66 million +2.6%
1994 44.14 million +1.1%
1995 45.29 million +2.6%
1996 45.82 million +1.2%
1997 46.09 million +0.6%
1998 47.14 million +2.3%
1999 47.32 million +0.4%
2000 50.69 million +7.1%
2001 50.99 million +0.6%
2002 50.32 million -1.3%
2003 50.72 million +0.8%
2004 50.94 million +0.4%
2005 52.73 million +3.5%
2006 55.24 million +4.8%
2007 55.99 million +1.4%
2008 56.45 million +0.8%
2009 57.19 million +1.3%
2010 56.58 million -1.1%
2011 54.07 million -4.4%
2012 52.01 million -3.8%
2013 50.93 million -2.1%
2014 51.37 million +0.9%
2015 51.25 million -0.2%
2016 52.48 million +2.4%
2017 52.43 million -0.1%
2018 50.76 million -3.2%
2019 51.50 million +1.5%
2020 52.45 million +1.9%
2021 53.28 million +1.6%
2022 54.06 million +1.5%
2023 54.89 million +1.5%
2024 55.69 million +1.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 39.46 million 37.53 million 40.96 million 8
1990s 44.50 million 41.28 million 47.32 million 10
2000s 53.13 million 50.32 million 57.19 million 10
2010s 52.34 million 50.76 million 56.58 million 10
2020s 54.08 million 52.45 million 55.69 million 5

Countries ranked near ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100)

  1. 11 Morocco 668,815 compare
  2. 12 Iraq 501,759 compare
  3. 13 China 397,478 compare
  4. 14 South Africa 295,988 compare
  5. 15 Brazil 267,795 compare
  6. 16 Iran 247,083 compare
  7. 17 Burundi 231,032 compare

See the full ranking of 262 places →

More education data for ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100)

All data for ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100) →

Frequently asked questions

What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100)?
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100) was 55.69 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100)?
The highest recorded value was 57.19 million in 2009.
What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100)?
The lowest recorded value was 37.53 million in 1982.
How does ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100) rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes?
ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100) ranks 14th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes rising or falling in ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100)?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100) data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/youth-illiterate-population-15-24-years-both-sexes-number-2/eca-all-countries-unsdcode-98100/

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About this data

Indicator
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
262 places, 8,082 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release