Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female was 55.3% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1985–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/).
Analysis
The most recent figure for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa is 55.3%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 61.2% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 55.3%, in 2019.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 17th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 61.2% | — |
| 1986 | 61.1% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 61.0% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 60.7% | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 60.6% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 60.3% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 60.1% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 59.7% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 59.4% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 59.1% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 58.7% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 58.3% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 57.9% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 57.9% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 58.0% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 58.7% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 58.2% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 60.1% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 59.7% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 59.9% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 59.3% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 58.9% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 59.2% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 59.0% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 59.0% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 58.7% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 58.1% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 58.2% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 58.1% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 57.7% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 57.3% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 56.7% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 56.1% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 55.6% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 55.3% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 60.9% | 60.6% | 61.2% | 5 |
| 1990s | 58.9% | 57.9% | 60.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.2% | 58.2% | 60.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.2% | 55.3% | 58.7% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.43 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.80 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9738 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in Sub-Saharan Africa was 55.3% 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 61.2% in 1985.
- What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.3% in 2019.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 17th out of 39 groups with data for 2019.
- Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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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About this data
Share of the youth illiterate population that is female.