Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Asia
South Asia: Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female was 56.2% in 2019. ▬ Flat
Latest (2019)
56.2%
Change on year
down 0.7%
Rank
6th
of 39 groups
All-time high
64.3%
in 2005
All-time low
56.2%
in 2019
Years of data
45
1975–2019
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Asia, 1975–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/).
Analysis
South Asia recorded 56.2% for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Asia peaked at 64.3% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 56.2%, in 2019.
That places South Asia 6th out of 39 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 61.7% | — |
| 1976 | 61.7% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 61.5% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 61.3% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 61.1% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 60.8% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 60.5% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 60.1% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 59.8% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 59.4% | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 59.1% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 58.8% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 58.5% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 61.5% | +5.2% |
| 1989 | 61.5% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 61.4% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 61.4% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 61.7% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 62.2% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 61.9% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 61.7% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 61.5% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 61.4% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 64.1% | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 63.7% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 63.3% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 62.8% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 62.2% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 62.6% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 61.9% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 64.3% | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 63.8% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 60.9% | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 63.0% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 62.4% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 61.0% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 60.0% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 59.7% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 59.6% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 58.8% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 57.9% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 57.4% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 57.3% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 56.6% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 56.2% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 61.5% | 61.1% | 61.7% | 5 |
| 1980s | 60.0% | 58.5% | 61.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 62.1% | 61.4% | 64.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.7% | 60.9% | 64.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.5% | 56.2% | 61.0% | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 3 Kazakhstan 70.5% compare
- 4 Togo 67.6% compare
- 5 Azerbaijan 66.9% compare
- 6 Lao People's Democratic Republic 62.6% compare
- 7 Nigeria 62.5% compare
- 8 Nepal 62.4% compare
- 9 Pakistan 61.8% compare
More education data for South Asia
- Population ages 0-14 24.6% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.84 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 152.88 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0959 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 68.1% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 4.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 160.82 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Asia?
- Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in South Asia was 56.2% 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 64.3% in 2005.
- What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.2% in 2019.
- How does South Asia rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female?
- South Asia ranks 6th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
- Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Asia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of the youth illiterate population that is female.