Data / Rankings / Youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24 / Countries

Countries by youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24, 2022

Mauritius had the highest youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24 of 58 countries in 2022, at 100%. Niger had the lowest, at 53.9%. The median was 98.4% and the figure for the World was 92.8%. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

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Highest100Mauritius
Lowest53.9Niger
Median98.458 countries
World92.8History

Map of countries, 2022

United Arab Emirates: 99.7 %Afghanistan: 62.7 %Armenia: 99.8 %Bangladesh: 93.4 %Burkina Faso: 62.8 %Benin: 71.3 %Brazil: 99.3 %Bhutan: 97.7 %Belize: 96.2 %Chile: 99.3 %Colombia: 98.9 %Dominican Republic: 98.5 %Ecuador: 99.6 %Egypt: 95.2 %Ethiopia: 84.7 %Georgia: 99.7 %Guatemala: 95 %Guinea-Bissau: 82.2 %Honduras: 95.9 %Indonesia: 93.8 %India: 96.5 %Iran: 98.6 %Jamaica: 93.6 %Laos: 93.8 %Sri Lanka: 98.8 %Mongolia: 99.7 %Mauritius: 100 %Mexico: 98.9 %Malaysia: 98.8 %Mozambique: 71.4 %Niger: 53.9 %Oman: 99.7 %Panama: 99.3 %Peru: 99.3 %Papua New Guinea: 91.9 %Philippines: 99.8 %Palestine: 99.4 %Paraguay: 98.6 %Serbia: 99.7 %Rwanda: 90 %Senegal: 75.3 %Somalia: 70.7 %El Salvador: 98.3 %Eswatini: 98.7 %Togo: 90.4 %Thailand: 98.2 %Timor-Leste: 86.1 %Turkmenistan: 99.9 %Türkiye: 92.2 %Trinidad and Tobago: 92 %Tanzania: 87.1 %Uruguay: 99.1 %Uzbekistan: 100 %Vietnam: 99.1 %Zambia: 84.5 %
  • Under 85
  • 85 to 94
  • 94 to 98
  • 98 to 99
  • 99 to 100
  • 100 and over
  • No data
%, 2022. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Literacy rate, youth total, % of people ages 15-24 (SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS) via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All countries, 2022

Mauritius: 100 %Mauritius100San Marino: 100 %San Marino100Uzbekistan: 100 %Uzbekistan100Tuvalu: 100 %Tuvalu100Turkmenistan: 99.9 %Turkmenistan99.9Philippines: 99.8 %Philippines99.8Armenia: 99.8 %Armenia99.8Serbia: 99.7 %Serbia99.7Georgia: 99.7 %Georgia99.7Mongolia: 99.7 %Mongolia99.7Oman: 99.7 %Oman99.7United Arab Emirates: 99.7 %United Arab Emirates99.7Ecuador: 99.6 %Ecuador99.6Palestine: 99.4 %Palestine99.4Brazil: 99.3 %Brazil99.3Chile: 99.3 %Chile99.3Panama: 99.3 %Panama99.3Peru: 99.3 %Peru99.3Bahrain: 99.2 %Bahrain99.2Uruguay: 99.1 %Uruguay99.1Vietnam: 99.1 %Vietnam99.1Mexico: 98.9 %Mexico98.9Colombia: 98.9 %Colombia98.9Sri Lanka: 98.8 %Sri Lanka98.8Malaysia: 98.8 %Malaysia98.8Eswatini: 98.7 %Eswatini98.7Iran: 98.6 %Iran98.6Paraguay: 98.6 %Paraguay98.6Dominican Republic: 98.5 %Dominican Republic98.5El Salvador: 98.3 %El Salvador98.3Thailand: 98.2 %Thailand98.2Bhutan: 97.7 %Bhutan97.7India: 96.5 %India96.5Belize: 96.2 %Belize96.2Honduras: 95.9 %Honduras95.9Egypt: 95.2 %Egypt95.2Guatemala: 95 %Guatemala95Laos: 93.8 %Laos93.8Indonesia: 93.8 %Indonesia93.8Jamaica: 93.6 %Jamaica93.6Bangladesh: 93.4 %Bangladesh93.4Türkiye: 92.2 %Türkiye92.2Trinidad and Tobago: 92 %Trinidad and Tobago92Papua New Guinea: 91.9 %Papua New Guinea91.9Togo: 90.4 %Togo90.4Rwanda: 90 %Rwanda90Tanzania: 87.1 %Tanzania87.1Timor-Leste: 86.1 %Timor-Leste86.1Ethiopia: 84.7 %Ethiopia84.7Zambia: 84.5 %Zambia84.5Guinea-Bissau: 82.2 %Guinea-Bissau82.2Senegal: 75.3 %Senegal75.3Mozambique: 71.4 %Mozambique71.4Benin: 71.3 %Benin71.3Somalia: 70.7 %Somalia70.7Burkina Faso: 62.8 %Burkina Faso62.8Afghanistan: 62.7 %Afghanistan62.7Niger: 53.9 %Niger53.9Mauritius: 100 %Mauritius100San Marino: 100 %San Marino100Uzbekistan: 100 %Uzbekistan100Tuvalu: 100 %Tuvalu100Turkmenistan: 99.9 %Turkmenistan99.9Philippines: 99.8 %Philippines99.8Armenia: 99.8 %Armenia99.8Serbia: 99.7 %Serbia99.7Georgia: 99.7 %Georgia99.7Mongolia: 99.7 %Mongolia99.7Oman: 99.7 %Oman99.7United Arab Emirates: 99.7 %United Arab Emirates99.7Ecuador: 99.6 %Ecuador99.6Palestine: 99.4 %Palestine99.4Brazil: 99.3 %Brazil99.3Chile: 99.3 %Chile99.3Panama: 99.3 %Panama99.3Peru: 99.3 %Peru99.3Bahrain: 99.2 %Bahrain99.2Uruguay: 99.1 %Uruguay99.1Vietnam: 99.1 %Vietnam99.1Mexico: 98.9 %Mexico98.9Colombia: 98.9 %Colombia98.9Sri Lanka: 98.8 %Sri Lanka98.8Malaysia: 98.8 %Malaysia98.8Eswatini: 98.7 %Eswatini98.7Iran: 98.6 %Iran98.6Paraguay: 98.6 %Paraguay98.6Dominican Republic: 98.5 %Dominican Republic98.5El Salvador: 98.3 %El Salvador98.3Thailand: 98.2 %Thailand98.2Bhutan: 97.7 %Bhutan97.7India: 96.5 %India96.5Belize: 96.2 %Belize96.2Honduras: 95.9 %Honduras95.9Egypt: 95.2 %Egypt95.2Guatemala: 95 %Guatemala95Laos: 93.8 %Laos93.8Indonesia: 93.8 %Indonesia93.8Jamaica: 93.6 %Jamaica93.6Bangladesh: 93.4 %Bangladesh93.4Türkiye: 92.2 %Türkiye92.2Trinidad and Tobago: 92 %Trinidad and Tobago92Papua New Guinea: 91.9 %Papua New Guinea91.9Togo: 90.4 %Togo90.4Rwanda: 90 %Rwanda90Tanzania: 87.1 %Tanzania87.1Timor-Leste: 86.1 %Timor-Leste86.1Ethiopia: 84.7 %Ethiopia84.7Zambia: 84.5 %Zambia84.5Guinea-Bissau: 82.2 %Guinea-Bissau82.2Senegal: 75.3 %Senegal75.3Mozambique: 71.4 %Mozambique71.4Benin: 71.3 %Benin71.3Somalia: 70.7 %Somalia70.7Burkina Faso: 62.8 %Burkina Faso62.8Afghanistan: 62.7 %Afghanistan62.7Niger: 53.9 %Niger53.9
%. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Literacy rate, youth total, % of people ages 15-24 (SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS) via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCountries2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Mauritius100+0.1 pts
1San Marino100n/a
1Uzbekistan1000 pts
4Tuvalu100n/a
5Turkmenistan99.9n/a
6Philippines99.8n/a
7Armenia99.8n/a
8Serbia99.7n/a
9Georgia99.7-0.3 pts
9Mongolia99.7-0.2 pts
11Oman99.7n/a
11United Arab Emirates99.70 pts
13Ecuador99.6+0.6 pts
14Palestine99.4-0 pts
15Brazil99.30 pts
15Chile99.3n/a
15Panama99.30 pts
15Peru99.3+0.2 pts
19Bahrain99.2n/a
20Uruguay99.1-0.1 pts
21Vietnam99.1n/a
22Mexico98.9-0.3 pts
23Colombia98.9-0.2 pts
24Sri Lanka98.8-0.1 pts
25Malaysia98.8n/a
26Eswatini98.7n/a
27Iran98.6+0.1 pts
28Paraguay98.60 pts
29Dominican Republic98.5-0.3 pts
30El Salvador98.3+0.2 pts
31Thailand98.2n/a
32Bhutan97.7n/a
33India96.5+0.7 pts
34Belize96.2n/a
35Honduras95.9n/a
36Egypt95.2-1.4 pts
37Guatemala95n/a
38Laos93.8n/a
39Indonesia93.8n/a
40Jamaica93.6n/a
41Bangladesh93.4-1.4 pts
42Türkiye92.2-7.7 pts
43Trinidad and Tobago92n/a
44Papua New Guinea91.9n/a
45Togo90.4n/a
46Rwanda90n/a
47Tanzania87.1n/a
48Timor-Leste86.1n/a
49Ethiopia84.7+5 pts
50Zambia84.5+0.3 pts
51Guinea-Bissau82.2n/a
52Senegal75.3n/a
53Mozambique71.4n/a
54Benin71.3+5.9 pts
55Somalia70.7n/a
56Burkina Faso62.8+0.1 pts
57Afghanistan62.7+6.7 pts
58Niger53.9n/a

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 15 to 24 who can both read and write, with understanding, a short simple statement about their everyday life, as a percentage of the population aged 15 to 24. UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

UIS figures from censuses, household surveys and UIS model estimates. Most high-income countries stopped measuring literacy decades ago, so they have no value; a missing value is not a rate of 0 or 100. Countries report in different years, so a ranking for one year covers only some countries.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. 114 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2022 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Literacy rate, youth total, % of people ages 15-24 (SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2026). Literacy rate, youth total, % of people ages 15-24 (SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS) (Countries by youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24, 2022) [Data set]. World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS

MLA 9

Literacy rate, youth total, % of people ages 15-24 (SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS), Countries by youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24, 2022. UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS. World Bank, World Development Indicators, https://data.worldbank.org. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/youth-literacy-rate/countries. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

UNESCO Institute for Statistics. 2026. Literacy rate, youth total, % of people ages 15-24 (SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS). Countries by youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24, 2022. Dataset. Distributed by World Bank, World Development Indicators. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/youth-literacy-rate/countries.

Harvard

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) Literacy rate, youth total, % of people ages 15-24 (SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS), Countries by youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24, 2022 [Dataset]. Via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/youth-literacy-rate/countries (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{unesco_countries_by_youth_literacy_2022,
  author = {{UNESCO Institute for Statistics}},
  title = {{Literacy rate, youth total, \% of people ages 15-24 (SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS): Countries by youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24, 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  publisher = {World Bank, World Development Indicators},
  url = {https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Retrieved through World Bank, World Development Indicators (https://data.worldbank.org). Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/youth-literacy-rate/countries. Publisher attribution: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Literacy rate, youth total, \% of people ages 15-24 (SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - UNESCO Institute for Statistics
TI  - Literacy rate, youth total, % of people ages 15-24 (SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS): Countries by youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24, 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
PB  - World Bank, World Development Indicators
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/youth-literacy-rate/countries
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Retrieved through World Bank, World Development Indicators (https://data.worldbank.org).
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/youth-literacy-rate/countries.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Literacy rate, youth total, % of people ages 15-24 (SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.
ER  -
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Questions

Which country has the highest youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24?

Mauritius, with 100% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Which country has the lowest youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24?

Niger, with 53.9% in 2022.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Literacy rate, youth total, % of people ages 15-24 (SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 114 countries have no value for 2022 and are not ranked.

Youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24: other rankings

Countries: more rankings