Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries: Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes was 92.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries, 1977–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries stood at 92.2%. That is the highest value across all 48 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries peaked at 92.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 65.0%, in 1977.
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries ranks 114th of 204 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 65.0% | — |
| 1978 | 65.7% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 66.3% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 67.0% | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 67.7% | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 68.5% | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 69.3% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 70.3% | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 71.3% | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 72.3% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 73.3% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 74.3% | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 75.3% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 77.3% | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 78.5% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 79.4% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 79.3% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 80.1% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 81.2% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 82.1% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 83.0% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 83.8% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 84.6% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 85.3% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 86.1% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 86.8% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 87.9% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 88.5% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 88.8% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 87.5% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 88.2% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 89.2% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 89.1% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 89.5% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 89.4% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 90.5% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 91.2% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 91.3% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 91.5% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 90.3% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 90.8% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 91.0% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 91.2% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 91.4% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 91.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 91.8% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 92.0% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 92.2% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 65.7% | 65.0% | 66.3% | 3 |
| 1980s | 70.9% | 67.0% | 75.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 80.9% | 77.3% | 84.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 87.7% | 85.3% | 89.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 90.7% | 89.4% | 91.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 91.8% | 91.4% | 92.2% | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 17.93 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.81 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 22.79 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 24.28 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.22 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.3301 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.84 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 5.99 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries →
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries?
- Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries was 92.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries?
- The highest recorded value was 92.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.0% in 1977.
- How does UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries rank for youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes?
- UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries ranks 114th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release