Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes was 1.49 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1974–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.
Analysis
In 2019, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 1.49 million number. That is the lowest value across all 46 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.8% on the previous year and down 44.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 8.28 million number in 1985 and was at its lowest, 1.49 million number, in 2019.
That places Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 30th out of 39 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 7.51 million number | — |
| 1975 | 7.75 million number | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 7.80 million number | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 7.84 million number | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 7.85 million number | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 7.93 million number | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 8.08 million number | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 8.13 million number | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 8.19 million number | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 8.24 million number | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 8.27 million number | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 8.28 million number | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 8.27 million number | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 8.25 million number | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 8.11 million number | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 7.94 million number | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 7.82 million number | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 7.39 million number | -5.5% |
| 1992 | 6.93 million number | -6.2% |
| 1993 | 6.48 million number | -6.6% |
| 1994 | 6.01 million number | -7.1% |
| 1995 | 5.55 million number | -7.8% |
| 1996 | 5.34 million number | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 5.32 million number | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 5.12 million number | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 5.00 million number | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 4.87 million number | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 4.81 million number | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 4.48 million number | -6.8% |
| 2003 | 3.76 million number | -16.1% |
| 2004 | 3.66 million number | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 3.49 million number | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 3.39 million number | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 3.13 million number | -7.6% |
| 2008 | 3.00 million number | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 2.69 million number | -10.5% |
| 2010 | 2.85 million number | +6.0% |
| 2011 | 2.38 million number | -16.5% |
| 2012 | 2.22 million number | -6.6% |
| 2013 | 2.25 million number | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 1.92 million number | -14.9% |
| 2015 | 1.80 million number | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 1.67 million number | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 1.63 million number | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 1.54 million number | -5.1% |
| 2019 | 1.49 million number | -3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.78 million number | 7.51 million number | 7.93 million number | 6 |
| 1980s | 8.17 million number | 7.94 million number | 8.28 million number | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.10 million number | 5.00 million number | 7.82 million number | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.73 million number | 2.69 million number | 4.87 million number | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.97 million number | 1.49 million number | 2.85 million number | 10 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
More education data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.22 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 62.34 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 60.53 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1513 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0936 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 22.3% (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 1.49 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 8.28 million number in 1985.
- What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.49 million number in 2019.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 30th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
- Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, both sexes rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.