Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Least developed countries

Least developed countries: Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female was 54.6% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
54.6%
Change on year
down 0.5%
Rank
19th
of 38 groups
All-time high
59.5%
in 1981
All-time low
54.6%
in 2019
Years of data
39
1981–2019

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Least developed countries, 1981–2019

02040601981200020191981: 59.51982: 59.31983: 59.11984: 58.91985: 58.71986: 58.51987: 58.31988: 59.21989: 59.11990: 58.91991: 58.71992: 58.51993: 58.21994: 581995: 57.91996: 57.61997: 57.41998: 58.11999: 58.22000: 57.82001: 57.32002: 58.92003: 58.62004: 58.72005: 58.22006: 58.32007: 55.82008: 57.92009: 57.92010: 57.52011: 56.82012: 56.82013: 572014: 572015: 56.42016: 56.12017: 55.52018: 54.92019: 54.6

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/).

Analysis

In 2019, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Least developed countries stood at 54.6%. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Least developed countries peaked at 59.5% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 54.6%, in 2019.

That places Least developed countries 19th out of 38 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Least developed countries, year by year

Annual values for Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Least developed countries, 1981 to 2019.
Year Value Change
1981 59.5%
1982 59.3% -0.3%
1983 59.1% -0.3%
1984 58.9% -0.4%
1985 58.7% -0.4%
1986 58.5% -0.3%
1987 58.3% -0.2%
1988 59.2% +1.5%
1989 59.1% -0.1%
1990 58.9% -0.3%
1991 58.7% -0.3%
1992 58.5% -0.5%
1993 58.2% -0.4%
1994 58.0% -0.4%
1995 57.9% -0.1%
1996 57.6% -0.5%
1997 57.4% -0.4%
1998 58.1% +1.3%
1999 58.2% +0.1%
2000 57.8% -0.7%
2001 57.3% -0.8%
2002 58.9% +2.8%
2003 58.6% -0.4%
2004 58.7% +0.2%
2005 58.2% -0.9%
2006 58.3% +0.2%
2007 55.8% -4.3%
2008 57.9% +3.9%
2009 57.9% -0.2%
2010 57.5% -0.6%
2011 56.8% -1.3%
2012 56.8% -0.0%
2013 57.0% +0.4%
2014 57.0% -0.1%
2015 56.4% -0.9%
2016 56.1% -0.6%
2017 55.5% -1.0%
2018 54.9% -1.1%
2019 54.6% -0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 59.0% 58.3% 59.5% 9
1990s 58.2% 57.4% 58.9% 10
2000s 57.9% 55.8% 58.9% 10
2010s 56.3% 54.6% 57.5% 10

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 16 Guatemala 59.3% compare
  2. 17 Cameroon 58.7% compare
  3. 18 Central African Republic 57.7% compare
  4. 19 Suriname 57.1% compare
  5. 20 Mali 56.8% compare
  6. 21 Cote d'Ivoire 56.6% compare
  7. 22 Chad 56.5% compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More education data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Least developed countries?
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Least developed countries was 54.6% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/).
What is the highest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female recorded in Least developed countries?
The highest recorded value was 59.5% in 1981.
What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female recorded in Least developed countries?
The lowest recorded value was 54.6% in 2019.
How does Least developed countries rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female?
Least developed countries ranks 19th out of 38 groups with data for 2019.
Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female rising or falling in Least developed countries?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Least developed countries data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/), published as part of Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/). Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/youth-illiterate-population-15-24-years-percent-female/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

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About this data

Indicator
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
125 places, 2,250 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Share of the youth illiterate population that is female.