Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern
WB: Africa Eastern and Southern: Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes was 83.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern, 1987–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
WB: Africa Eastern and Southern recorded 83.4% for youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 83.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 69.0%, in 1987.
That places WB: Africa Eastern and Southern 143rd 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 38 years of available data.
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 69.0% | — |
| 1988 | 69.3% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 69.8% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 70.5% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 70.6% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 70.2% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 70.4% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 70.4% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 70.8% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 71.0% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 71.4% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 70.6% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 71.5% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 71.6% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 71.7% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 73.6% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 73.7% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 73.8% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 73.0% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 71.0% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 72.2% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 72.6% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 73.2% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 74.5% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 77.0% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 78.9% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 79.8% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 79.9% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 80.2% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 80.9% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 81.1% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 81.8% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 82.4% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 82.5% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 82.7% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 82.9% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 83.1% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 83.4% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 69.4% | 69.0% | 69.8% | 3 |
| 1990s | 70.7% | 70.2% | 71.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.6% | 71.0% | 73.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.6% | 74.5% | 82.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.9% | 82.5% | 83.4% | 5 |
More education data for WB: Africa Eastern and Southern
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 20.71 million (2022)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.23 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.92 million (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.75 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 18.88 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.91 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 23.18 million (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.98 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.9717 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 46.07 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern was 83.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 83.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.0% in 1987.
- How does WB: Africa Eastern and Southern rank for youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes?
- WB: Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 143rd out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Africa Eastern and Southern 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