Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia

SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia: Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male was 2.86 million in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
2.86 million
Change on year
down 1.0%
Rank
99th
of 204 groups
All-time high
4.55 million
in 1987
All-time low
2.63 million
in 2015
Years of data
38
1987–2024

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia, 1987–2024

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M1987200520241987: 4.5M1988: 4.5M1989: 4.3M1990: 4.2M1991: 4.0M1992: 4.0M1993: 4.0M1994: 4.0M1995: 3.9M1996: 3.9M1997: 3.8M1998: 3.8M1999: 3.8M2000: 3.7M2001: 3.7M2002: 3.6M2003: 3.1M2004: 3.1M2005: 3.1M2006: 3.9M2007: 3.7M2008: 3.5M2009: 3.5M2010: 3.4M2011: 3.2M2012: 2.9M2013: 2.7M2014: 2.7M2015: 2.6M2016: 3.1M2017: 3.0M2018: 3.0M2019: 3.0M2020: 2.9M2021: 2.9M2022: 2.9M2023: 2.9M2024: 2.9M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia is 2.86 million, measured in 2024.

The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia peaked at 4.55 million in 1987 and was at its lowest, 2.63 million, in 2015.

SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia ranks 99th of 204 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia, year by year

Annual values for Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male (number) in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia, 1987 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1987 4.55 million
1988 4.47 million -1.6%
1989 4.34 million -2.9%
1990 4.25 million -2.2%
1991 4.05 million -4.8%
1992 3.96 million -2.1%
1993 4.01 million +1.2%
1994 3.97 million -0.9%
1995 3.92 million -1.4%
1996 3.86 million -1.4%
1997 3.82 million -1.1%
1998 3.83 million +0.1%
1999 3.82 million -0.1%
2000 3.72 million -2.7%
2001 3.65 million -1.8%
2002 3.62 million -1.0%
2003 3.15 million -12.9%
2004 3.13 million -0.7%
2005 3.10 million -0.9%
2006 3.89 million +25.4%
2007 3.66 million -5.9%
2008 3.52 million -3.6%
2009 3.48 million -1.2%
2010 3.40 million -2.4%
2011 3.24 million -4.7%
2012 2.92 million -9.9%
2013 2.72 million -6.9%
2014 2.68 million -1.4%
2015 2.63 million -2.0%
2016 3.13 million +19.3%
2017 3.02 million -3.6%
2018 2.99 million -1.1%
2019 2.96 million -0.8%
2020 2.93 million -1.0%
2021 2.90 million -1.3%
2022 2.89 million -0.3%
2023 2.89 million +0.1%
2024 2.86 million -1.0%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2006 +25.4% 3.10 million 3.89 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 4.45 million 4.34 million 4.55 million 3
1990s 3.95 million 3.82 million 4.25 million 10
2000s 3.49 million 3.10 million 3.89 million 10
2010s 2.97 million 2.63 million 3.40 million 10
2020s 2.89 million 2.86 million 2.93 million 5

More education data for SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia

All data for SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia was 2.86 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male recorded in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
The highest recorded value was 4.55 million in 1987.
What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male recorded in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 2.63 million in 2015.
How does SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male?
SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia ranks 99th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male rising or falling in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/youth-illiterate-population-15-24-years-male-number-2/sdg-northern-africa-and-western-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
262 places, 8,089 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release