Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa: Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes was 94.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
94.7%
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
86th
of 204 groups
All-time high
94.7%
in 2024
All-time low
64.8%
in 1976
Years of data
49
1976–2024
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, 1976–2024
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 stood at 94.7%. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa peaked at 94.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 64.8%, in 1976.
That places UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa 86th out of 204 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 64.8% | — |
| 1977 | 65.3% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 65.9% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 66.5% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 67.2% | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 67.9% | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 68.7% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 69.6% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 70.7% | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 71.7% | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 72.8% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 73.8% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 74.8% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 75.9% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 77.9% | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 79.2% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 80.2% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 80.1% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 80.9% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 82.1% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 83.0% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 83.8% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 84.6% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 85.3% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 86.0% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 86.8% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 87.5% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 88.5% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 89.1% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 89.4% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 89.5% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 90.2% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 91.2% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 91.1% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 91.5% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 91.4% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 92.6% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 93.4% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 93.5% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 93.8% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 92.5% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 93.0% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 93.3% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 93.5% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 93.8% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 94.1% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 94.3% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 94.5% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 94.7% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 65.7% | 64.8% | 66.5% | 4 |
| 1980s | 71.3% | 67.2% | 75.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 81.7% | 77.9% | 85.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 88.9% | 86.0% | 91.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 92.8% | 91.4% | 93.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.3% | 93.8% | 94.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
- 83 Pakistan 73.1% compare
- 84 Sierra Leone 73.0% compare
- 85 Mozambique 71.4% compare
- 86 Benin 71.2% compare
- 87 Gambia 67.5% compare
- 88 Senegal 67.5% compare
- 89 Cote d'Ivoire 66.8% compare
More education data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 21.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 23.21 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.49 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.5257 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 17.53 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.61 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.11 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa was 94.7% 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?
- The highest recorded value was 94.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.8% in 1976.
- How does UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa rank for youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes?
- UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa ranks 86th 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?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa 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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release