Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income): Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female was 11.55 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
11.55 million
Change on year
down 2.6%
Rank
72nd
of 204 groups
All-time high
15.54 million
in 2003
All-time low
11.55 million
in 2024
Years of data
52
1973–2024
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female 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, female in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) stood at 11.55 million. That is the lowest value across all 52 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) peaked at 15.54 million in 2003 and was at its lowest, 11.55 million, in 2024.
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 72nd 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, female in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 12.81 million | — |
| 1974 | 13.17 million | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 13.53 million | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 13.88 million | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 14.14 million | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 14.39 million | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 14.61 million | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 14.83 million | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 15.08 million | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 15.21 million | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 15.36 million | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 15.35 million | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 15.32 million | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 15.28 million | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 15.25 million | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 15.21 million | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 15.17 million | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 14.80 million | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 14.68 million | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 14.75 million | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 15.36 million | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 15.36 million | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 15.17 million | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 15.11 million | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 15.09 million | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 15.20 million | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 15.20 million | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 15.18 million | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 15.07 million | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 14.99 million | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 15.54 million | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 15.41 million | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 15.26 million | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 15.10 million | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 14.85 million | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 14.31 million | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 14.10 million | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 13.94 million | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 14.01 million | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 13.34 million | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 13.10 million | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 12.58 million | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 12.02 million | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 12.11 million | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 12.12 million | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 13.53 million | +11.6% |
| 2019 | 13.29 million | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 12.91 million | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 12.58 million | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 12.22 million | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 11.86 million | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 11.55 million | -2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.79 million | 12.81 million | 14.61 million | 7 |
| 1980s | 15.21 million | 14.83 million | 15.36 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.07 million | 14.68 million | 15.36 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.98 million | 14.10 million | 15.54 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.00 million | 12.02 million | 14.01 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.23 million | 11.55 million | 12.91 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, female in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) was 11.55 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The highest recorded value was 15.54 million in 2003.
- What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.55 million in 2024.
- How does WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female?
- WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 72nd out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, female rising or falling in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. 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, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release