Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income): Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes was 86.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), 1973–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) is 86.0%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) peaked at 86.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 48.2%, in 1973.
That places WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) 136th 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 52 years of available data.
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 48.2% | — |
| 1974 | 48.6% | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 49.1% | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 49.6% | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 50.3% | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 51.1% | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 51.9% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 52.7% | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 53.4% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 54.5% | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 55.4% | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 56.5% | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 57.7% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 58.9% | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 59.9% | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 60.9% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 61.8% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 63.6% | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 64.8% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 66.8% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 67.8% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 68.7% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 69.9% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 71.0% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 71.9% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 72.6% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 73.5% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 74.3% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 75.3% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 76.1% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 77.6% | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 78.3% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 78.8% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 79.0% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 79.3% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 80.8% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 81.2% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 81.6% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 81.3% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 82.6% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 82.8% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 83.3% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 83.9% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 83.5% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 83.8% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 82.3% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 82.7% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 83.3% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 84.0% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 84.7% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 85.4% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 86.0% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 49.8% | 48.2% | 51.9% | 7 |
| 1980s | 57.2% | 52.7% | 61.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 69.1% | 63.6% | 73.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.1% | 74.3% | 81.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.8% | 81.3% | 83.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.7% | 83.3% | 86.0% | 5 |
More education data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.74 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 3.82 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 8.80 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 29.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.80 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 32.64 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 4.06 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) was 86.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The highest recorded value was 86.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.2% in 1973.
- How does WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) rank for youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes?
- WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 136th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) 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