Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in WB: Africa Western and Central

WB: Africa Western and Central: Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male was 11.53 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
11.53 million
Change on year
up 2.5%
Rank
54th
of 204 groups
All-time high
11.53 million
in 2024
All-time low
5.72 million
in 1985
Years of data
40
1985–2024

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in WB: Africa Western and Central, 1985–2024

02.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M12.5M1985200420241985: 5.7M1986: 5.9M1987: 5.9M1988: 6.1M1989: 6.2M1990: 6.4M1991: 6.5M1992: 6.7M1993: 6.8M1994: 7.0M1995: 7.4M1996: 7.6M1997: 7.7M1998: 7.6M1999: 7.8M2000: 8.5M2001: 8.5M2002: 8.7M2003: 9.0M2004: 8.8M2005: 9.0M2006: 9.1M2007: 9.6M2008: 10.0M2009: 10.1M2010: 10.4M2011: 10.4M2012: 10.4M2013: 10.2M2014: 10.3M2015: 10.3M2016: 10.5M2017: 10.5M2018: 9.9M2019: 10.4M2020: 10.6M2021: 10.8M2022: 11.0M2023: 11.2M2024: 11.5M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

WB: Africa Western and Central recorded 11.53 million for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in 2024. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.

The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 12.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in WB: Africa Western and Central peaked at 11.53 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.72 million, in 1985.

WB: Africa Western and Central ranks 54th of 204 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in WB: Africa Western and Central, year by year

Annual values for Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male (number) in WB: Africa Western and Central, 1985 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1985 5.72 million
1986 5.85 million +2.3%
1987 5.95 million +1.6%
1988 6.10 million +2.6%
1989 6.23 million +2.0%
1990 6.37 million +2.3%
1991 6.52 million +2.4%
1992 6.68 million +2.4%
1993 6.84 million +2.4%
1994 6.96 million +1.8%
1995 7.40 million +6.3%
1996 7.56 million +2.1%
1997 7.66 million +1.4%
1998 7.58 million -1.1%
1999 7.76 million +2.4%
2000 8.49 million +9.5%
2001 8.47 million -0.3%
2002 8.68 million +2.5%
2003 8.97 million +3.4%
2004 8.78 million -2.2%
2005 8.99 million +2.4%
2006 9.13 million +1.6%
2007 9.63 million +5.4%
2008 9.97 million +3.6%
2009 10.13 million +1.5%
2010 10.38 million +2.5%
2011 10.39 million +0.0%
2012 10.37 million -0.2%
2013 10.22 million -1.4%
2014 10.27 million +0.5%
2015 10.29 million +0.1%
2016 10.54 million +2.4%
2017 10.45 million -0.8%
2018 9.94 million -4.9%
2019 10.38 million +4.5%
2020 10.64 million +2.5%
2021 10.84 million +1.9%
2022 11.04 million +1.8%
2023 11.24 million +1.9%
2024 11.53 million +2.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 5.97 million 5.72 million 6.23 million 5
1990s 7.13 million 6.37 million 7.76 million 10
2000s 9.12 million 8.47 million 10.13 million 10
2010s 10.32 million 9.94 million 10.54 million 10
2020s 11.06 million 10.64 million 11.53 million 5

Countries ranked near WB: Africa Western and Central

  1. 51 Azerbaijan 900 compare
  2. 52 Maldives 824 compare
  3. 53 Bahrain 537 compare
  4. 54 Qatar 519 compare
  5. 55 Singapore 283 compare
  6. 56 Armenia 258 compare
  7. 57 Uzbekistan 2 compare

See the full ranking of 262 places →

More education data for WB: Africa Western and Central

All data for WB: Africa Western and Central →

Frequently asked questions

What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in WB: Africa Western and Central?
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male in WB: Africa Western and Central was 11.53 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male recorded in WB: Africa Western and Central?
The highest recorded value was 11.53 million in 2024.
What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male recorded in WB: Africa Western and Central?
The lowest recorded value was 5.72 million in 1985.
How does WB: Africa Western and Central rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male?
WB: Africa Western and Central ranks 54th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, male rising or falling in WB: Africa Western and Central?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this WB: Africa Western and Central 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 WB: Africa Western and Central. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/youth-illiterate-population-15-24-years-male-number-2/wb-africa-western-and-central/

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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