Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income): Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes was 18.52 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
18.52 million
Change on year
down 2.5%
Rank
76th
of 204 groups
All-time high
25.31 million
in 1989
All-time low
18.52 million
in 2024
Years of data
52
1973–2024
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), 1973–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) stood at 18.52 million. That is the lowest value across all 52 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) peaked at 25.31 million in 1989 and was at its lowest, 18.52 million, in 2024.
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 76th of 204 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 20.75 million | — |
| 1974 | 21.34 million | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 21.91 million | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 22.48 million | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 22.90 million | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 23.34 million | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 23.74 million | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 24.17 million | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 24.67 million | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 24.95 million | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 25.15 million | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 25.22 million | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 25.22 million | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 25.22 million | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 25.24 million | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 25.27 million | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 25.31 million | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 24.78 million | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 24.58 million | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 23.83 million | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 23.71 million | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 23.75 million | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 23.53 million | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 23.52 million | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 23.60 million | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 23.89 million | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 24.01 million | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 24.11 million | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 24.04 million | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 24.04 million | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 23.15 million | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 23.14 million | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 23.16 million | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 23.43 million | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 23.55 million | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 22.21 million | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 21.95 million | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 21.74 million | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 22.23 million | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 20.72 million | -6.8% |
| 2013 | 20.52 million | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 19.89 million | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 19.15 million | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 19.63 million | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 19.36 million | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 21.38 million | +10.5% |
| 2019 | 21.13 million | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 20.56 million | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 20.07 million | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 19.53 million | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 18.99 million | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 18.52 million | -2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 22.35 million | 20.75 million | 23.74 million | 7 |
| 1980s | 25.04 million | 24.17 million | 25.31 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.92 million | 23.52 million | 24.78 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.28 million | 21.95 million | 24.11 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.57 million | 19.15 million | 22.23 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.53 million | 18.52 million | 20.56 million | 5 |
More education data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.74 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 3.82 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 8.80 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 29.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.80 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 32.64 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 4.06 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) was 18.52 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The highest recorded value was 25.31 million in 1989.
- What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.52 million in 2024.
- How does WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes?
- WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 76th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) 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