Least developed countries: UN classification: Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Least developed countries: UN classification's literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24) rose 0.31 percentage points on 2023 (from 80.07% to 80.38%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.78 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.07 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below 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 3.51 percentage points in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.21 percentage points in 2006. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.35 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 90% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people 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 44 values

Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24) in nearby economies

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 95.19% (2022)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 98.74% (2023)
• Jordan — 98.67% (2024)
• Kuwait — 99.3% (2020)
• Pakistan — 73.13% (2021)
• Tunisia — 98.16% (2023)
• West Bank and Gaza — 99.4% (2024)

More education data for Least developed countries: UN classification

• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.79 (2024)
• Primary education, pupils — 171.01 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 100.68% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 99.34% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 101.99% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Least developed countries: UN classification's literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24)?

80.38% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1981?

It is up 29.54 percentage points from 50.84% in 1981. The highest value was 80.38% in 2024 and the lowest 50.84% in 1981.

Is the latest change in literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24) unusual for Least developed countries: UN classification?

In 2024, Least developed countries: UN classification's literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24) rose 0.31 percentage points on 2023 (from 80.07% to 80.38%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.78 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.07 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below 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.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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