Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries: Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes was 7.15 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
7.15 million
Change on year
down 0.8%
Rank
96th
of 204 groups
All-time high
14.86 million
in 1982
All-time low
7.14 million
in 2015
Years of data
47
1978–2024
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries, 1978–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries stood at 7.15 million.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries peaked at 14.86 million in 1982 and was at its lowest, 7.14 million, in 2015.
That places UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries 96th 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 47 years of available data.
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 14.38 million | — |
| 1979 | 14.51 million | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 14.60 million | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 14.70 million | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 14.86 million | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 14.86 million | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 14.72 million | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 14.56 million | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 14.38 million | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 14.21 million | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 13.96 million | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 13.70 million | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 12.87 million | -6.0% |
| 1991 | 12.42 million | -3.5% |
| 1992 | 12.15 million | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 12.48 million | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 12.24 million | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 11.86 million | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 11.61 million | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 11.38 million | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 11.20 million | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 11.04 million | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 10.88 million | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 10.62 million | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 10.38 million | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 9.77 million | -5.9% |
| 2004 | 9.51 million | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 9.38 million | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 10.63 million | +13.4% |
| 2007 | 10.14 million | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 9.45 million | -6.9% |
| 2009 | 9.51 million | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 9.22 million | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 9.24 million | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 8.25 million | -10.7% |
| 2013 | 7.55 million | -8.5% |
| 2014 | 7.40 million | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 7.14 million | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 8.12 million | +13.8% |
| 2017 | 7.71 million | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 7.55 million | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 7.45 million | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 7.35 million | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 7.25 million | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 7.21 million | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 7.21 million | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 7.15 million | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.45 million | 14.38 million | 14.51 million | 2 |
| 1980s | 14.45 million | 13.70 million | 14.86 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.93 million | 11.04 million | 12.87 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.03 million | 9.38 million | 10.88 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.96 million | 7.14 million | 9.24 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.23 million | 7.15 million | 7.35 million | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 17.93 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.81 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 22.79 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 24.28 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.22 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.3301 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.84 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 5.99 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries →
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries?
- Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries was 7.15 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries?
- The highest recorded value was 14.86 million in 1982.
- What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.14 million in 2015.
- How does UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes?
- UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries ranks 96th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries 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