Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104): Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female was 51.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), 1974–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) recorded 51.0% for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) peaked at 65.0% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 51.0%, in 2024.
That places ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) 117th out of 204 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 61.0% | — |
| 1975 | 62.0% | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 62.0% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 63.0% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 64.0% | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 65.0% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 65.0% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 64.0% | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 64.0% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 63.0% | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 63.0% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 62.0% | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 62.0% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 61.0% | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 60.0% | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 60.0% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 59.0% | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 59.0% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 59.0% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 58.0% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 58.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 59.0% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 58.0% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 58.0% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 58.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 60.0% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 60.0% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 59.0% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 62.0% | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 61.0% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 62.0% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 61.0% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 59.0% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 59.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 60.0% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 60.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 62.0% | +3.3% |
| 2011 | 61.0% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 61.0% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 61.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 60.0% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 58.0% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 57.0% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 54.0% | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 55.0% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 55.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 55.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 54.0% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 53.0% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 52.0% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 51.0% | -1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 62.8% | 61.0% | 65.0% | 6 |
| 1980s | 62.4% | 60.0% | 65.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 58.6% | 58.0% | 60.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.3% | 59.0% | 62.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.4% | 54.0% | 62.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.0% | 51.0% | 55.0% | 5 |
More education data for ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 7.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 0.2683 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.24 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.01 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 7.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.6859 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14.16 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) was 51.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The highest recorded value was 65.0% in 1979.
- What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.0% in 2024.
- How does ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female?
- ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 117th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female rising or falling in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release