Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Europe & Central Asia

Europe & Central Asia: Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes was 328,493 number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
328,493 number
Change on year
down 5.1%
Rank
34th
of 39 groups
All-time high
1.44 million number
in 1992
All-time low
328,493 number
in 2019
Years of data
30
1990–2019

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Europe & Central Asia, 1990–2019

250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M1.5M1990200420191990: 1.3M number1991: 1.3M number1992: 1.4M number1993: 1.4M number1994: 1.4M number1995: 1.3M number1996: 1.3M number1997: 1.3M number1998: 1.3M number1999: 1.3M number2000: 1.2M number2001: 1.2M number2002: 1.1M number2003: 1.1M number2004: 1.1M number2005: 1.0M number2006: 1.1M number2007: 979.0k number2008: 986.0k number2009: 728.4k number2010: 650.7k number2011: 603.5k number2012: 547.4k number2013: 500.2k number2014: 457.8k number2015: 430.8k number2016: 388.2k number2017: 363.7k number2018: 346.3k number2019: 328.5k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Europe & Central Asia recorded 328,493 number for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 30 years on record.

That represents a change of down 5.1% on the previous year and down 54.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 1.44 million number in 1992 and was at its lowest, 328,493 number, in 2019.

That places Europe & Central Asia 34th out of 39 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Europe & Central Asia, year by year

Annual values for Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes (number) in Europe & Central Asia, 1990 to 2019.
Year number Change
1990 1.32 million number
1991 1.29 million number -2.3%
1992 1.44 million number +11.2%
1993 1.41 million number -2.2%
1994 1.38 million number -2.1%
1995 1.35 million number -2.1%
1996 1.32 million number -2.2%
1997 1.29 million number -2.2%
1998 1.30 million number +0.7%
1999 1.31 million number +0.7%
2000 1.24 million number -5.2%
2001 1.21 million number -2.4%
2002 1.15 million number -5.1%
2003 1.14 million number -0.3%
2004 1.15 million number +0.6%
2005 1.04 million number -9.6%
2006 1.06 million number +1.6%
2007 978,987 number -7.2%
2008 985,990 number +0.7%
2009 728,404 number -26.1%
2010 650,735 number -10.7%
2011 603,470 number -7.3%
2012 547,371 number -9.3%
2013 500,225 number -8.6%
2014 457,758 number -8.5%
2015 430,776 number -5.9%
2016 388,217 number -9.9%
2017 363,669 number -6.3%
2018 346,324 number -4.8%
2019 328,493 number -5.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.34 million number 1.29 million number 1.44 million number 10
2000s 1.07 million number 728,404 number 1.24 million number 10
2010s 461,704 number 328,493 number 650,735 number 10

Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia

  1. 31 Viet Nam 223,705 number compare
  2. 32 Guatemala 190,279 number compare
  3. 33 Philippines 182,462 number compare
  4. 34 Malaysia 177,089 number compare
  5. 35 Thailand 176,350 number compare
  6. 36 Algeria 156,217 number compare
  7. 37 Mexico 150,913 number compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More education data for Europe & Central Asia

All data for Europe & Central Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Europe & Central Asia?
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Europe & Central Asia was 328,493 number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
The highest recorded value was 1.44 million number in 1992.
What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 328,493 number in 2019.
How does Europe & Central Asia rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes?
Europe & Central Asia ranks 34th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 54.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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 Europe & Central Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/youth-illiterate-population-15-24-years-both-sexes-number/europe-and-central-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
125 places, 2,250 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of youth between age 15 and age 24 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.