Total number of literate persons in a given age group, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group. The adult literacy rate measures literacy among persons aged 15 years and above, and the youth literacy rate measures literacy among persons aged 15 to 24 years.
UIS-UNESCO. 2012. Global education digest 2012. Opportunities lost: The impact of grade repetition and early school leaving. Montreal:UIS-UNESCO
Even achieving universal upper secondary school completion with literacy skills by 2030 will not bring about universal adult literacy. There will still be all of today’s illiterate youth, estimated for the first time in 2018 at just under 100 million, and most of today’s 773 million illiterate adults. The Global Education Monitoring Report estimates that, in 2050, 11.5% of sub-Saharan African adults will not have completed primary school (UNESCO, 2020:268).
UNESCO.2020. Global education monitoring report, 2020: Inclusion and education: all means all. Paris: UNESCO