Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend

Late-demographic dividend: Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes was 1.65 million number in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
1.65 million number
Change on year
down 7.8%
Rank
28th
of 39 groups
All-time high
42.71 million number
in 1977
All-time low
1.65 million number
in 2019
Years of data
44
1976–2019

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend, 1976–2019

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M1976199720191976: 42.2M number1977: 42.7M number1978: 40.4M number1979: 38.2M number1980: 36.2M number1981: 34.8M number1982: 33.1M number1983: 32.8M number1984: 31.8M number1985: 30.8M number1986: 29.9M number1987: 28.7M number1988: 24.7M number1989: 24.4M number1990: 24.0M number1991: 22.8M number1992: 21.7M number1993: 20.5M number1994: 19.3M number1995: 18.1M number1996: 17.0M number1997: 9.7M number1998: 9.3M number1999: 8.9M number2000: 8.6M number2001: 8.2M number2002: 7.9M number2003: 7.0M number2004: 6.7M number2005: 6.3M number2006: 5.9M number2007: 4.8M number2008: 4.6M number2009: 4.4M number2010: 4.4M number2011: 3.8M number2012: 3.0M number2013: 2.6M number2014: 2.4M number2015: 2.2M number2016: 2.0M number2017: 1.9M number2018: 1.8M number2019: 1.6M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend is 1.65 million number, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 44 years on record.

That represents a change of down 7.8% on the previous year and down 62.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend peaked at 42.71 million number in 1977 and was at its lowest, 1.65 million number, in 2019.

Late-demographic dividend ranks 28th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend, year by year

Annual values for Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes (number) in Late-demographic dividend, 1976 to 2019.
Year number Change
1976 42.19 million number
1977 42.71 million number +1.2%
1978 40.39 million number -5.4%
1979 38.21 million number -5.4%
1980 36.24 million number -5.1%
1981 34.76 million number -4.1%
1982 33.09 million number -4.8%
1983 32.80 million number -0.9%
1984 31.84 million number -3.0%
1985 30.83 million number -3.2%
1986 29.87 million number -3.1%
1987 28.69 million number -3.9%
1988 24.73 million number -13.8%
1989 24.44 million number -1.2%
1990 23.97 million number -1.9%
1991 22.77 million number -5.0%
1992 21.67 million number -4.9%
1993 20.48 million number -5.5%
1994 19.27 million number -5.9%
1995 18.06 million number -6.3%
1996 17.03 million number -5.7%
1997 9.73 million number -42.9%
1998 9.31 million number -4.3%
1999 8.95 million number -3.9%
2000 8.62 million number -3.6%
2001 8.25 million number -4.4%
2002 7.91 million number -4.1%
2003 7.02 million number -11.3%
2004 6.69 million number -4.7%
2005 6.34 million number -5.3%
2006 5.92 million number -6.6%
2007 4.82 million number -18.4%
2008 4.56 million number -5.4%
2009 4.43 million number -3.1%
2010 4.37 million number -1.2%
2011 3.78 million number -13.6%
2012 2.97 million number -21.4%
2013 2.62 million number -11.5%
2014 2.38 million number -9.5%
2015 2.25 million number -5.5%
2016 2.00 million number -11.1%
2017 1.87 million number -6.5%
2018 1.79 million number -4.2%
2019 1.65 million number -7.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 40.87 million number 38.21 million number 42.71 million number 4
1980s 30.73 million number 24.44 million number 36.24 million number 10
1990s 17.12 million number 8.95 million number 23.97 million number 10
2000s 6.46 million number 4.43 million number 8.62 million number 10
2010s 2.57 million number 1.65 million number 4.37 million number 10

Countries ranked near Late-demographic dividend

  1. 25 Zambia 285,071 number compare
  2. 26 Brazil 269,941 number compare
  3. 27 Cambodia 249,100 number compare
  4. 28 Burundi 247,640 number compare
  5. 29 Iran, Islamic Republic of 228,939 number compare
  6. 30 Togo 224,210 number compare
  7. 31 Viet Nam 223,705 number compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More education data for Late-demographic dividend

All data for Late-demographic dividend →

Frequently asked questions

What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend?
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Late-demographic dividend was 1.65 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in Late-demographic dividend?
The highest recorded value was 42.71 million number in 1977.
What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in Late-demographic dividend?
The lowest recorded value was 1.65 million number in 2019.
How does Late-demographic dividend rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes?
Late-demographic dividend ranks 28th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes rising or falling in Late-demographic dividend?
Over the last ten years it is down 62.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Late-demographic dividend 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 Late-demographic dividend. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/youth-illiterate-population-15-24-years-both-sexes-number/late-demographic-dividend/

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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.