Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)
ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501): Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes was 8.29 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
8.29 million
Change on year
down 0.6%
Rank
90th
of 204 groups
All-time high
13.26 million
in 1983
All-time low
8.13 million
in 2015
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501), 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) stood at 8.29 million.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) peaked at 13.26 million in 1983 and was at its lowest, 8.13 million, in 2015.
That places ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) 90th out of 204 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 12.84 million | — |
| 1981 | 13.02 million | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 13.08 million | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 13.26 million | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 13.24 million | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 13.20 million | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 13.13 million | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 13.07 million | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 12.92 million | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 12.71 million | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 12.47 million | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 12.08 million | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 11.83 million | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 12.25 million | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 12.18 million | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 12.03 million | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 11.85 million | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 11.66 million | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 11.52 million | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 11.40 million | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 11.28 million | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 11.07 million | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 10.88 million | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 10.44 million | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 10.22 million | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 10.17 million | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 11.27 million | +10.9% |
| 2007 | 10.81 million | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 10.46 million | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 10.57 million | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 10.31 million | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 10.00 million | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 9.15 million | -8.5% |
| 2013 | 8.44 million | -7.8% |
| 2014 | 8.34 million | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 8.13 million | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 9.15 million | +12.5% |
| 2017 | 8.79 million | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 8.66 million | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 8.57 million | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 8.48 million | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 8.39 million | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 8.35 million | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 8.34 million | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 8.29 million | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.05 million | 12.71 million | 13.26 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.93 million | 11.40 million | 12.47 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.72 million | 10.17 million | 11.28 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.95 million | 8.13 million | 10.31 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.37 million | 8.29 million | 8.48 million | 5 |
More education data for ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 14.56 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.75 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 21.05 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.33 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.6536 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 7.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.95 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) was 8.29 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- The highest recorded value was 13.26 million in 1983.
- What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.13 million in 2015.
- How does ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes?
- ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) ranks 90th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this ESCWA: Arab Countries (unsdcode:98501) 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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About this data
February 2026 Data Release