Global youth literacy rate 1975-2022

In the past five decades, the global literacy rate among youths aged 15 to 24 years has grown from 77 percent in 1975 to 92.7 percent in 2022. In 1975, young men had a literacy rate of 84 percent, compared to a rate of seventy percent among women. This difference of over 14 percent in 1975 has fallen to just two percent in 2019; among the total adult population, the gap in literacy rates is over seven percent.

Global youth literacy rate (aged 15 to 24 years) from 1975 to 2022, by gender

Characteristic	Overall	Male	Female
2022	92.73	93.89	91.51
2021	92.59	93.82	91.29
2020	92.48	93.79	91.09
2019	92.4	93.77	90.93
2018	91.56	92.91	90.15
2017	91.77	93.11	90.35
2016	91.58	92.99	90.09
2015	91.16	92.7	89.53
2014	91.12	92.8	89.36
2013	90.61	92.42	88.69
2012	90.41	92.34	88.37
2011	89.83	91.86	87.69
2010	89.58	91.81	87.23
2009	89.17	91.42	86.79
2008	89.11	91.45	86.63
2007	88.64	91.1	86.03
2006	88.44	91.12	85.85
2005	88.46	91.4	85.41
2004	88.33	91.09	85.47
2003	87.9	90.84	84.84
2002	87.44	90.41	84.35
2001	86.96	89.97	83.79
2000	86.63	89.84	83.31
1999	86.63	89.85	83.27
1998	86.32	89.7	82.8
1997	85.53	88.71	82.21
1996	84.69	88.24	81
1995	84.45	88.15	80.6
1994	84.2	88.04	80.2
1993	83.96	87.93	79.81
1992	83.71	87.68	79.56
1991	83.38	87.45	79.17
1990	83.18	87.32	78.87
1989	82.88	87.19	78.39
1988	82.63	87.07	78.01
1987	82.05	86.27	77.66
1986	81.4	85.81	76.82
1985	81.02	85.64	76.22
1984	80.61	85.46	75.57
1983	80.16	85.29	74.83
1982	79.81	85.2	74.24
1981	79.38	85.07	73.49
1980	78.93	84.93	72.73
1979	78.44	84.77	71.87
1978	77.82	84.46	70.94
1977	77.26	84.19	70.06
1976	77.1	84.16	69.79
1975	77.09	84.2	69.73