UIS · Youth Literacy Rate
Youth literacy rate by country
What share of 15-to-24-year-olds can read and write?
Of the 132 countries compared in the 2024 edition, 4 countries shared the highest reading, 100.0000%, and Chad had the lowest reading, 45.1300%. In the middle country the figure was 97.2543%. 42 readings from before 2014 are listed but not compared.
Share
Part ofEducation & Knowledge
Youth literacy rate · the 2024 edition
Context statistic
4 countries share the highest value, 100.0000% — no single country is named first.
01the 2024 edition · values only
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 132 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
Highest in the 2024 edition · shared
4 countries share the highest reading, 100.0000%
No single country is named first: picking one from a shared value would be a choice the data does not make.
Lowest in the 2024 edition
Chad45.1300%
Mali50.3300%
Central African Republic50.6000%
Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Mauritius99.8010% - Americas
Turks and Caicos Islands99.9400% - Asia
Uzbekistan100.0000% - Europe
San Marino100.0000% - Oceania
2 countries share 100.0000%
- Every region
02Every measured country
Youth literacy rate on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 45.1300–84.6900%
- 85.1500–94.2400%
- 95.1909–98.7399%
- 98.7400–99.6600%
- 99.6800–100.0000%
- Hatched: a reading from before 2014, listed but not compared (42)
- No reading in the 2024 edition
- Europe
99.8400%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 49 members
San Marino100.0000%
Montenegro97.4200%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
98.8290%
the middle country, of 28 measured · 48 members
Turks and Caicos Islands99.9400%
Costa Rica80.5500%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Asia
98.8000%
the middle country, of 40 measured · 52 members
Uzbekistan100.0000%
Afghanistan62.6600%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Oceania
97.6864%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 21 members
2 share 100.0000%
Kiribati90.4443%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
82.3050%
the middle country, of 44 measured · 55 members
Mauritius99.8010%Chad45.1300%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
18 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Southern Europe
99.7350%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 17 members
San Marino100.0000%Montenegro97.4200%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Western Asia
99.5200%
the middle country, of 15 measured · 19 members
2 share 99.8900%
Türkiye92.2300%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- South America
99.0800%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Bolivia99.7800%
Suriname97.6900%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- South-eastern Asia
97.3699%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Singapore99.8900%
Timor-Leste86.1300%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Southern Asia
97.3386%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Sri Lanka98.8700%Afghanistan62.6600%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Central America
95.9600%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Panama99.1972%Costa Rica80.5500%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Caribbean
95.8900%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 24 members
Turks and Caicos Islands99.9400%
Haiti88.8700%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Eastern Africa
85.1500%
the middle country, of 15 measured · 19 members
Mauritius99.8010%
Somalia70.7100%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Middle Africa
80.7000%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe95.4900%Chad45.1300%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Western Africa
70.8600%
the middle country, of 15 measured · 16 members
Cabo Verde98.3200%Mali50.3300%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Central Asia
3 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan100.0000%
Tajikistan98.8100%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Eastern Asia
3 of 8 measured — too few for a middle: China, Macau, Mongolia.
Macau99.8000%
Mongolia99.3200%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Eastern Europe
4 of 10 measured — too few for a middle: Belarus, Moldova, Romania, Russia.
Romania99.9400%
Moldova99.8100%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Melanesia
2 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu.
Vanuatu93.9300%
Papua New Guinea91.9189%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Micronesia
4 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau.
Palau100.0000%Kiribati90.4443%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern Africa
3 of 6 measured — too few for a middle: Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia.
Tunisia98.1600%
Morocco89.1200%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Polynesia
4 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Niue, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu.
Niue100.0000%
Samoa99.0200%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Southern Africa
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa.
Eswatini98.6600%
Namibia92.1300%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
03The whole field at once
The spread
132 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 97.2543%; a quarter are above 99.4117%, and a quarter below 89.7575%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 174 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. Youth literacy is close to universal in much of the world, so many countries sit at or near 100% and no position is derived. Readings more than ten years older than the edition are listed but not compared.
Showing 25 of 174 countries
Values for the 2024 edition.
05In this edition
Youth literacy rate in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading
Reached 4 times by 4 countries — shared, so no holder is named
100.0000%
15–24 year-olds who can read and write (%)
Lowest reading
45.1300%
15–24 year-olds who can read and write (%)
06By sex
Inside the number
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) also publishes separate female and male readings. The gap between them, where both exist.
Of the 130 countries with both readings, the female reading is higher in 63, the male reading in 58, and they are equal in 9. The widest gaps each way:
42 countries' readings are too old to compare and are left out; they are still listed under Every country.
07The measure
About youth literacy rate
The youth literacy rate is the share of 15-to-24-year-olds who can read and write. Because it reflects the schools of the last decade, it moves ahead of the adult rate — the gap between the two shows how fast a country is changing.
What the number is: 15–24 year-olds who can read and write (%).
08Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Education & Knowledge, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where youth literacy rate is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Adult Literacy RateUIS · 124 countries in commonρ 0.91
- Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 113 countries in commonρ 0.86
- Primary Completion RateUIS · 115 countries in commonρ 0.85
Moves against
Where youth literacy rate is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Global Multidimensional Poverty IndexOPHI · 93 countries in commonρ −0.85
- Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 113 countries in commonρ −0.83
- Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 118 countries in commonρ −0.80
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 332 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
09Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The data, edition by edition
The countries at either end
10Questions
Youth literacy rate: questions and answers
Which country has the highest youth literacy rate?
4 countries share the highest reading, 100.0000%, among the 132 compared in the 2024 edition, so no single country is named.
Which country has the lowest youth literacy rate?
Chad, at 45.1300%, among the 132 countries compared in the 2024 edition.
How many countries does the Youth Literacy Rate cover?
132 in the 2024 edition, and 174 at least once across all editions.
What is the world average youth literacy rate?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 132 compared in the 2024 edition, the figure was 97.2543%.
Is this UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the Youth Literacy Rate published?
This site holds one edition, describing 2024.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the UNESCO Institute for Statistics data API, latest available reading per country. Female and male rates are stored beside the headline. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
11Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Youth Literacy Rate — UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
From the UNESCO Institute for Statistics data API, latest available reading per country. Female and male rates are stored beside the headline.
Newest edition
Report year 2024Data year not recorded
Cite the source as: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. UIS Data Browser. Montreal: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-05.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- The file gives each country’s most recent reading, so the rows are from different years. Readings from before 2014 are listed but left out of every comparison on this page.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Youth literacy rate by country: Youth Literacy Rate, data from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/youth-literacy