Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries

UNICEF: All Unicef Countries: Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female was 47.88 million in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
47.88 million
Change on year
down 1.3%
Rank
7th
of 204 groups
All-time high
117.82 million
in 1986
All-time low
47.88 million
in 2024
Years of data
39
1986–2024

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, 1986–2024

025.0M50.0M75.0M100.0M125.0M1986200520241986: 117.8M1987: 115.4M1988: 114.9M1989: 112.5M1990: 109.9M1991: 107.5M1992: 105.5M1993: 104.0M1994: 101.4M1995: 99.1M1996: 96.8M1997: 90.6M1998: 87.8M1999: 85.6M2000: 86.0M2001: 85.0M2002: 83.7M2003: 82.6M2004: 81.0M2005: 82.0M2006: 83.0M2007: 80.7M2008: 78.0M2009: 76.2M2010: 73.9M2011: 70.7M2012: 68.2M2013: 64.4M2014: 61.9M2015: 59.2M2016: 57.1M2017: 55.8M2018: 55.3M2019: 51.4M2020: 50.7M2021: 49.9M2022: 49.3M2023: 48.5M2024: 47.9M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries is 47.88 million, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 22.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries peaked at 117.82 million in 1986 and was at its lowest, 47.88 million, in 2024.

That places UNICEF: All Unicef Countries 7th out of 204 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, year by year

Annual values for Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female (number) in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries, 1986 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1986 117.82 million
1987 115.41 million -2.0%
1988 114.94 million -0.4%
1989 112.55 million -2.1%
1990 109.88 million -2.4%
1991 107.52 million -2.1%
1992 105.52 million -1.9%
1993 103.97 million -1.5%
1994 101.36 million -2.5%
1995 99.11 million -2.2%
1996 96.84 million -2.3%
1997 90.63 million -6.4%
1998 87.78 million -3.1%
1999 85.65 million -2.4%
2000 85.98 million +0.4%
2001 85.02 million -1.1%
2002 83.72 million -1.5%
2003 82.61 million -1.3%
2004 81.00 million -1.9%
2005 82.04 million +1.3%
2006 82.96 million +1.1%
2007 80.67 million -2.8%
2008 77.97 million -3.4%
2009 76.18 million -2.3%
2010 73.93 million -3.0%
2011 70.74 million -4.3%
2012 68.19 million -3.6%
2013 64.38 million -5.6%
2014 61.93 million -3.8%
2015 59.20 million -4.4%
2016 57.13 million -3.5%
2017 55.82 million -2.3%
2018 55.29 million -1.0%
2019 51.44 million -7.0%
2020 50.75 million -1.4%
2021 49.91 million -1.6%
2022 49.31 million -1.2%
2023 48.53 million -1.6%
2024 47.88 million -1.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 115.18 million 112.55 million 117.82 million 4
1990s 98.83 million 85.65 million 109.88 million 10
2000s 81.82 million 76.18 million 85.98 million 10
2010s 61.80 million 51.44 million 73.93 million 10
2020s 49.28 million 47.88 million 50.75 million 5

Countries ranked near UNICEF: All Unicef Countries

  1. 4 Burkina Faso 1.14 million compare
  2. 5 Mozambique 1.10 million compare
  3. 6 Mali 1.07 million compare
  4. 7 Bangladesh 963,493 compare
  5. 8 Uganda 799,818 compare
  6. 9 Guinea 731,670 compare
  7. 10 Senegal 547,809 compare

See the full ranking of 262 places →

More education data for UNICEF: All Unicef Countries

All data for UNICEF: All Unicef Countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries was 47.88 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female recorded in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
The highest recorded value was 117.82 million in 1986.
What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female recorded in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
The lowest recorded value was 47.88 million in 2024.
How does UNICEF: All Unicef Countries rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female?
UNICEF: All Unicef Countries ranks 7th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female rising or falling in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this UNICEF: All Unicef Countries data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: All Unicef Countries. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/youth-illiterate-population-15-24-years-female-number-2/unicef-all-unicef-countries/

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About this data

Indicator
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
262 places, 8,109 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release