Latin America & Caribbean: Literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Latin America & Caribbean's literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI) did not change 0 on 2023 (from 1 to 1).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.000667 and a typical year strayed about 0.00365 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.01 in 1988 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.01 in 1992. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Gender parity index for youth literacy rate is the ratio of females to males ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.

Limitations: In practice, literacy is difficult to measure. Estimating literacy rates requires census or survey measurements under controlled conditions. Many countries report the number of literate people from self-reported data. Some use educational attainment data as a proxy but apply different lengths of school attendance or levels of completion. And there is a trend among recent national and international surveys toward using a direct reading test of literacy skills. Because definitions and methods of data collection differ across countries, data should be used cautiously.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 51 values

Literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI) in nearby economies

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 0.99 (2022)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 1 (2023)
• Jordan — 1 (2024)
• Kuwait — 1 (2020)
• Pakistan — 0.84 (2021)
• Tunisia — 1 (2023)
• West Bank and Gaza — 0.99 (2024)

More education data for Latin America & Caribbean

• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 61.44 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 3.34 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 77.79% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 63.3 million (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers — 4.37 million (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers, female — 2.64 million (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers (% female) — 60.52% (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Latin America & Caribbean's literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI)?

1 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1974?

It is up 2.04% from 0.98 in 1974. The highest value was 1.03 in 1988 and the lowest 0.98 in 1974.

Is the latest change in literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI) unusual for Latin America & Caribbean?

In 2024, Latin America & Caribbean's literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI) did not change 0 on 2023 (from 1 to 1). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.000667 and a typical year strayed about 0.00365 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.ADT.1524.LT.FM.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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