The latest data, for reference year 2013, show that the global youth literacy rate (aged 15-24 years) was 91%.
The greatest progress has occurred in the Arab States and South and West Asia, where youth literacy rates rose from 74% to 90% and 60% to 84%, respectively, between 1990 and 2013. Countries with the lowest youth literacy rates are found in sub-Saharan Africa. as in the cases of Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Guinea, Niger and South Sudan, where less than 40% of youths can read and write.