Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)
ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126): Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female was 55.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126), 1985–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) recorded 55.0% for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.
The figure is down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) peaked at 61.0% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 55.0%, in 2023.
ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) ranks 74th of 204 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 61.0% | — |
| 1986 | 61.0% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 61.0% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 61.0% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 61.0% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 60.0% | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 60.0% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 60.0% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 60.0% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 59.0% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 59.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 58.0% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 58.0% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 58.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 58.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 59.0% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 58.0% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 60.0% | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 60.0% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 60.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 59.0% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 59.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 59.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 59.0% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 59.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 59.0% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 58.0% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 59.0% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 59.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 58.0% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 58.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 57.0% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 57.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 56.0% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 56.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 56.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 56.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 56.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 55.0% | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 55.0% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 61.0% | 61.0% | 61.0% | 5 |
| 1990s | 59.0% | 58.0% | 60.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.2% | 58.0% | 60.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.7% | 56.0% | 59.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.6% | 55.0% | 56.0% | 5 |
More education data for ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 5.89 million (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 38.99 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 42.27 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 26.34 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.52 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 3.88 % change on previous year (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.59 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
- Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) was 55.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female recorded in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
- The highest recorded value was 61.0% in 1985.
- What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female recorded in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.0% in 2023.
- How does ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female?
- ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) ranks 74th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female rising or falling in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release