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

Countries by youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24

Estonia had the highest youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24 of 56 countries in 2011, at 99.9%. Mali had the lowest, at 42.1%. The median was 98.7% and the figure for the World was 90.1%. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

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Highest99.9Estonia
Lowest42.1Mali
Median98.756 countries
World90.1History

Map of countries, 2011

Afghanistan: 47 %Albania: 98.8 %Armenia: 99.8 %Azerbaijan: 99.9 %Bangladesh: 78 %Bulgaria: 97.9 %Brunei: 99.4 %Bolivia: 99 %Brazil: 98.5 %Chile: 99.4 %Cameroon: 80.7 %Colombia: 98.2 %Costa Rica: 99.1 %Cyprus: 99.8 %Dominican Republic: 97 %Ecuador: 98.7 %Estonia: 99.9 %Spain: 99.7 %Ethiopia: 54.8 %Honduras: 95.9 %Indonesia: 98.8 %India: 86.1 %Iran: 96.7 %Italy: 99.9 %Jordan: 99.2 %Lithuania: 99.9 %Latvia: 99.8 %Morocco: 81.5 %Montenegro: 99.2 %Mali: 42.1 %Mauritius: 98.1 %Mexico: 98.5 %Namibia: 94.4 %Nepal: 84.8 %Peru: 98.5 %Pakistan: 70.8 %Palestine: 99.3 %Portugal: 99.4 %Paraguay: 98.5 %Qatar: 97.9 %Romania: 99 %Serbia: 99.3 %Singapore: 99.9 %Senegal: 65.8 %El Salvador: 96.6 %Togo: 79.9 %Tunisia: 97.3 %Türkiye: 98.7 %Uruguay: 98.9 %Venezuela: 97.6 %Samoa: 99.2 %South Africa: 98.8 %
  • Under 83
  • 83 to 98
  • 98 to 99
  • 99 and over
  • No data
%, 2011. 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, 2011

Estonia: 99.9 %Estonia99.9Azerbaijan: 99.9 %Azerbaijan99.9Singapore: 99.9 %Singapore99.9Italy: 99.9 %Italy99.9Lithuania: 99.9 %Lithuania99.9Armenia: 99.8 %Armenia99.8Latvia: 99.8 %Latvia99.8Cyprus: 99.8 %Cyprus99.8Spain: 99.7 %Spain99.7Macao: 99.7 %Macao99.7Portugal: 99.4 %Portugal99.4Tonga: 99.4 %Tonga99.4Chile: 99.4 %Chile99.4Brunei: 99.4 %Brunei99.4Palestine: 99.3 %Palestine99.3Serbia: 99.3 %Serbia99.3Samoa: 99.2 %Samoa99.2Montenegro: 99.2 %Montenegro99.2Jordan: 99.2 %Jordan99.2Costa Rica: 99.1 %Costa Rica99.1Bolivia: 99 %Bolivia99Romania: 99 %Romania99Malta: 98.9 %Malta98.9Uruguay: 98.9 %Uruguay98.9Albania: 98.8 %Albania98.8South Africa: 98.8 %South Africa98.8Indonesia: 98.8 %Indonesia98.8Türkiye: 98.7 %Türkiye98.7Ecuador: 98.7 %Ecuador98.7Paraguay: 98.5 %Paraguay98.5Peru: 98.5 %Peru98.5Brazil: 98.5 %Brazil98.5Marshall Islands: 98.5 %Marshall Islands98.5Mexico: 98.5 %Mexico98.5Colombia: 98.2 %Colombia98.2Mauritius: 98.1 %Mauritius98.1Qatar: 97.9 %Qatar97.9Bulgaria: 97.9 %Bulgaria97.9Venezuela: 97.6 %Venezuela97.6Tunisia: 97.3 %Tunisia97.3Dominican Republic: 97 %Dominican Republic97Iran: 96.7 %Iran96.7El Salvador: 96.6 %El Salvador96.6Honduras: 95.9 %Honduras95.9Namibia: 94.4 %Namibia94.4India: 86.1 %India86.1Nepal: 84.8 %Nepal84.8Morocco: 81.5 %Morocco81.5Cameroon: 80.7 %Cameroon80.7Togo: 79.9 %Togo79.9Bangladesh: 78 %Bangladesh78Pakistan: 70.8 %Pakistan70.8Senegal: 65.8 %Senegal65.8Ethiopia: 54.8 %Ethiopia54.8Afghanistan: 47 %Afghanistan47Mali: 42.1 %Mali42.1Estonia: 99.9 %Estonia99.9Azerbaijan: 99.9 %Azerbaijan99.9Singapore: 99.9 %Singapore99.9Italy: 99.9 %Italy99.9Lithuania: 99.9 %Lithuania99.9Armenia: 99.8 %Armenia99.8Latvia: 99.8 %Latvia99.8Cyprus: 99.8 %Cyprus99.8Spain: 99.7 %Spain99.7Macao: 99.7 %Macao99.7Portugal: 99.4 %Portugal99.4Tonga: 99.4 %Tonga99.4Chile: 99.4 %Chile99.4Brunei: 99.4 %Brunei99.4Palestine: 99.3 %Palestine99.3Serbia: 99.3 %Serbia99.3Samoa: 99.2 %Samoa99.2Montenegro: 99.2 %Montenegro99.2Jordan: 99.2 %Jordan99.2Costa Rica: 99.1 %Costa Rica99.1Bolivia: 99 %Bolivia99Romania: 99 %Romania99Malta: 98.9 %Malta98.9Uruguay: 98.9 %Uruguay98.9Albania: 98.8 %Albania98.8South Africa: 98.8 %South Africa98.8Indonesia: 98.8 %Indonesia98.8Türkiye: 98.7 %Türkiye98.7Ecuador: 98.7 %Ecuador98.7Paraguay: 98.5 %Paraguay98.5Peru: 98.5 %Peru98.5Brazil: 98.5 %Brazil98.5Marshall Islands: 98.5 %Marshall Islands98.5Mexico: 98.5 %Mexico98.5Colombia: 98.2 %Colombia98.2Mauritius: 98.1 %Mauritius98.1Qatar: 97.9 %Qatar97.9Bulgaria: 97.9 %Bulgaria97.9Venezuela: 97.6 %Venezuela97.6Tunisia: 97.3 %Tunisia97.3Dominican Republic: 97 %Dominican Republic97Iran: 96.7 %Iran96.7El Salvador: 96.6 %El Salvador96.6Honduras: 95.9 %Honduras95.9Namibia: 94.4 %Namibia94.4India: 86.1 %India86.1Nepal: 84.8 %Nepal84.8Morocco: 81.5 %Morocco81.5Cameroon: 80.7 %Cameroon80.7Togo: 79.9 %Togo79.9Bangladesh: 78 %Bangladesh78Pakistan: 70.8 %Pakistan70.8Senegal: 65.8 %Senegal65.8Ethiopia: 54.8 %Ethiopia54.8Afghanistan: 47 %Afghanistan47Mali: 42.1 %Mali42.1
%. 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

RankCountries2011 (%)Change on 2010
1Estonia99.9n/a
2Azerbaijan99.9-0 pts
3Singapore99.9+0.1 pts
4Italy99.9n/a
4Lithuania99.9n/a
6Armenia99.8n/a
7Latvia99.8n/a
8Cyprus99.8n/a
9Spain99.7+0.1 pts
10Macao99.7n/a
11Portugal99.4n/a
11Tonga99.4n/a
13Chile99.4n/a
14Brunei99.4n/a
15Palestine99.3+0.1 pts
15Serbia99.3n/a
17Samoa99.2n/a
18Montenegro99.2n/a
19Jordan99.2+0.4 pts
20Costa Rica99.1n/a
21Bolivia99n/a
22Romania99n/a
23Malta98.9n/a
24Uruguay98.9+0.1 pts
25Albania98.8n/a
25South Africa98.8+0.2 pts
27Indonesia98.8+0.2 pts
28Türkiye98.7+0.5 pts
29Ecuador98.70 pts
30Paraguay98.5-0.1 pts
30Peru98.5+0.2 pts
32Brazil98.5+1 pts
33Marshall Islands98.5n/a
33Mexico98.50 pts
35Colombia98.2+0.1 pts
36Mauritius98.1n/a
37Qatar97.9+1.1 pts
38Bulgaria97.9n/a
39Venezuela97.6-0.9 pts
40Tunisia97.3+0.1 pts
41Dominican Republic97+0.2 pts
42Iran96.7-1.1 pts
43El Salvador96.6+0.5 pts
44Honduras95.9+0.8 pts
45Namibia94.4n/a
46India86.1-1.8 pts
47Nepal84.8n/a
48Morocco81.5n/a
49Cameroon80.7+0.1 pts
50Togo79.9+2.9 pts
51Bangladesh78n/a
52Pakistan70.8-0.5 pts
53Senegal65.8n/a
54Ethiopia54.8n/a
55Afghanistan47n/a
56Mali42.1-2.2 pts

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. 116 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2011 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, 2011) [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, 2011. 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?period=2011. 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, 2011. 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?period=2011.

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, 2011 [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?period=2011 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{unesco_countries_by_youth_literacy_2011,
  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, 2011}},
  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?period=2011. 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, 2011
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?period=2011
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?period=2011.
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?

Estonia, with 99.9% in 2011, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

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

Mali, with 42.1% in 2011.

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. 116 countries have no value for 2011 and are not ranked.

Youth literacy rate, ages 15 to 24: other rankings

Countries: more rankings