Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa: Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female was 82.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, 1985–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa is 82.8%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa peaked at 82.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 60.7%, in 1985.
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa ranks 139th of 204 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 60.7% | — |
| 1986 | 61.3% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 62.3% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 62.9% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 63.6% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 64.5% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 64.8% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 64.7% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 65.4% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 65.6% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 66.6% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 67.3% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 68.2% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 67.3% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 68.2% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 68.8% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 69.3% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 69.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 69.9% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 70.2% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 69.4% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 67.8% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 69.6% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 70.0% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 70.9% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 72.5% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 73.5% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 75.8% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 77.0% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 77.2% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 77.9% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 78.9% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 79.5% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 80.5% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 81.1% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 81.3% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 81.6% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 82.0% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 82.3% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 82.8% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 62.2% | 60.7% | 63.6% | 5 |
| 1990s | 66.3% | 64.5% | 68.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.5% | 67.8% | 70.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 77.4% | 72.5% | 81.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.0% | 81.3% | 82.8% | 5 |
More education data for UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 49.26 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.50 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.77 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 36.30 million (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 50.69 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 8.67 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 9.20 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa was 82.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 82.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.7% in 1985.
- How does UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa rank for youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female?
- UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa ranks 139th out of 204 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female rising or falling in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release