Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in World

World: Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female was 55.3% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
55.3%
Change on year
down 0.6%
Rank
1st
of 1 groups
All-time high
64.8%
in 1975
All-time low
55.3%
in 2019
Years of data
45
1975–2019

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in World, 1975–2019

02040601975199720191975: 64.81976: 64.71977: 64.61978: 64.31979: 63.91980: 63.51981: 631982: 62.51983: 62.31984: 61.81985: 61.41986: 611987: 60.91988: 61.91989: 61.81990: 61.51991: 61.41992: 61.31993: 61.51994: 61.31995: 611996: 60.71997: 60.11998: 61.41999: 61.12000: 612001: 60.52002: 60.72003: 612004: 60.72005: 61.62006: 61.12007: 59.72008: 60.62009: 60.12010: 59.32011: 58.52012: 58.62013: 58.32014: 57.92015: 57.12016: 56.72017: 56.32018: 55.72019: 55.3

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

Analysis

World recorded 55.3% for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 8.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in World peaked at 64.8% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 55.3%, in 2019.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.

Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in World, year by year

Annual values for Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in World, 1975 to 2019.
Year Value Change
1975 64.8%
1976 64.7% -0.1%
1977 64.6% -0.2%
1978 64.3% -0.5%
1979 63.9% -0.6%
1980 63.5% -0.7%
1981 63.0% -0.7%
1982 62.5% -0.8%
1983 62.3% -0.4%
1984 61.8% -0.7%
1985 61.4% -0.6%
1986 61.0% -0.6%
1987 60.9% -0.3%
1988 61.9% +1.8%
1989 61.8% -0.3%
1990 61.5% -0.4%
1991 61.4% -0.2%
1992 61.3% -0.1%
1993 61.5% +0.3%
1994 61.3% -0.4%
1995 61.0% -0.4%
1996 60.7% -0.5%
1997 60.1% -1.0%
1998 61.4% +2.2%
1999 61.1% -0.6%
2000 61.0% -0.2%
2001 60.5% -0.8%
2002 60.7% +0.4%
2003 61.0% +0.5%
2004 60.7% -0.5%
2005 61.6% +1.5%
2006 61.1% -0.9%
2007 59.7% -2.2%
2008 60.6% +1.5%
2009 60.1% -0.7%
2010 59.3% -1.4%
2011 58.5% -1.3%
2012 58.6% +0.1%
2013 58.3% -0.5%
2014 57.9% -0.7%
2015 57.1% -1.3%
2016 56.7% -0.7%
2017 56.3% -0.7%
2018 55.7% -1.2%
2019 55.3% -0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 64.5% 63.9% 64.8% 5
1980s 62.0% 60.9% 63.5% 10
1990s 61.1% 60.1% 61.5% 10
2000s 60.7% 59.7% 61.6% 10
2010s 57.4% 55.3% 59.3% 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 Bahrain 95.6% compare
  2. 2 Türkiye 81.3% compare
  3. 3 Kazakhstan 70.5% compare
  4. 4 Togo 67.6% compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More education data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in World?
Youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female in World 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 World?
The highest recorded value was 64.8% in 1975.
What is the lowest youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 55.3% in 2019.
How does World rank for youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female?
World ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 2019.
Is youth illiterate population, 15-24 years, % female rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World 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 World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/). Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/youth-illiterate-population-15-24-years-percent-female/world/

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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.