Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States
UIS: Arab States: Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes was 7.25 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
7.25 million
Change on year
down 0.6%
Rank
95th
of 204 groups
All-time high
12.38 million
in 1983
All-time low
7.08 million
in 2015
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States stood at 7.25 million.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States peaked at 12.38 million in 1983 and was at its lowest, 7.08 million, in 2015.
That places UIS: Arab States 95th 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 UIS: Arab States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 11.95 million | — |
| 1981 | 12.10 million | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 12.20 million | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 12.38 million | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 12.34 million | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 12.28 million | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 12.20 million | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 12.12 million | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 11.96 million | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 11.80 million | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 11.58 million | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 11.22 million | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 11.03 million | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 11.46 million | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 11.35 million | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 11.19 million | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 10.99 million | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 10.79 million | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 10.63 million | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 10.49 million | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 10.35 million | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 10.11 million | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 9.91 million | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 9.45 million | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 9.22 million | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 9.16 million | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 10.27 million | +12.1% |
| 2007 | 9.82 million | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 9.47 million | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 9.55 million | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 9.28 million | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 8.97 million | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 8.14 million | -9.3% |
| 2013 | 7.42 million | -8.9% |
| 2014 | 7.31 million | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 7.08 million | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 8.08 million | +14.1% |
| 2017 | 7.69 million | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 7.56 million | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 7.48 million | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 7.40 million | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 7.31 million | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 7.29 million | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 7.29 million | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 7.25 million | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 12.13 million | 11.80 million | 12.38 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.07 million | 10.49 million | 11.58 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.73 million | 9.16 million | 10.35 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.90 million | 7.08 million | 9.28 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.31 million | 7.25 million | 7.40 million | 5 |
More education data for UIS: Arab States
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 7.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.66 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 20.94 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.30 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.6559 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 14.51 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 7.10 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.96 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States?
- Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States was 7.25 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in UIS: Arab States?
- The highest recorded value was 12.38 million in 1983.
- What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in UIS: Arab States?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.08 million in 2015.
- How does UIS: Arab States rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes?
- UIS: Arab States ranks 95th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes rising or falling in UIS: Arab States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this UIS: Arab States 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