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Literacy rate

The share of adults able to read and write simple statements about everyday life.

Unit: % of population aged 15+ Period: 1970–2024 Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
Source: UIS · About the indicator
Average: 85.21% Countries: 170

The ranking uses the latest available value for each country — the year is shown in the row. The table spans 1970 to 2024.

Literacy rate, 1970–2024

Top-20 · % of population aged 15+

Literacy rate, 1970–202499.499.699.8100North KoreaNorth Korea: 100%100TuvaluTuvalu: 100%100UzbekistanUzbekistan: 100%100RussiaRussia: 99.93%99.93San MarinoSan Marino: 99.91%99.91LatviaLatvia: 99.9%99.9TurkmenistanTurkmenistan: 99.9%99.9EstoniaEstonia: 99.89%99.89BelarusBelarus: 99.87%99.87PalauPalau: 99.84%99.84ArmeniaArmenia: 99.84%99.84LithuaniaLithuania: 99.82%99.82AzerbaijanAzerbaijan: 99.78%99.78KazakhstanKazakhstan: 99.73%99.73TajikistanTajikistan: 99.73%99.73SpainSpain: 99.7%99.7GeorgiaGeorgia: 99.68%99.68SloveniaSlovenia: 99.52%99.52TongaTonga: 99.48%99.48UkraineUkraine: 99.43%99.43

The scale does not start at zero — the values lie in a narrow range, and starting from zero the bars would be indistinguishable. The axis ticks are labeled.

Literacy rate — 1970–2024 Current breakdown Full series CSV XLSX JSON
# Year Subregion World rank
1 KP North Korea 100 2008 1
2 TV Tuvalu 100 2022 1
3 UZ Uzbekistan 100 2022 1
4 RU Russia 99.93 2021 4
5 SM San Marino 99.91 2022 5
6 LV Latvia 99.9 2011 6
7 TM Turkmenistan 99.9 2022 6
8 EE Estonia 99.89 2011 8
9 BY Belarus 99.87 2019 9
10 PW Palau 99.84 2020 10
11 AM Armenia 99.84 2023 11
12 LT Lithuania 99.82 2011 12
13 AZ Azerbaijan 99.78 2023 13
14 KZ Kazakhstan 99.73 2009 14
15 TJ Tajikistan 99.73 2009 15
16 ES Spain 99.7 2021 16
17 GE Georgia 99.68 2024 17
18 SI Slovenia 99.52 1991 18
19 TO Tonga 99.48 2023 19
20 UA Ukraine 99.43 2001 20
21 GU Guam 99.37 1990 21
22 MD Moldova 99.36 2014 22
23 IT Italy 99.35 2019 23
24 RS Serbia 99.34 2022 24
25 BB Barbados 99.27 1970 25
26 KG Kyrgyzstan 99.24 2009 26
27 RO Romania 99.16 2021 27
28 AR Argentina 99.14 2020 28
29 AG Antigua and Barbuda 98.95 2001 29
30 UY Uruguay 98.91 2024 30
31 KY Cayman Islands 98.87 2017 31
32 HU Hungary 98.86 1980 32
33 AE United Arab Emirates 98.81 2024 33
34 PL Poland 98.74 1978 34
35 CY Cyprus 98.68 2011 35
36 MN Mongolia 98.64 2024 36
37 KI Kiribati 98.61 2020 37
38 ME Montenegro 98.53 2018 38
39 PH Philippines 98.47 2020 39
40 BG Bulgaria 98.35 2011 40
41 MV Maldives 98.21 2019 41
42 HR Croatia 98.15 2001 42
43 WS Samoa 97.99 2019 43
44 KR South Korea 97.97 2008 44
45 PS Palestine 97.94 2024 45
46 SA Saudi Arabia 97.93 2024 46
47 BH Bahrain 97.82 2024 47
48 GD Grenada 97.79 1970 48
49 QA Qatar 97.75 2014 49
50 AL Albania 97.68 2023 50
51 CU Cuba 97.65 2019 51
52 SG Singapore 97.65 2021 51
53 CR Costa Rica 97.41 2011 53
54 AS American Samoa 97.34 1980 54
55 OM Oman 97.34 2022 54
56 TR Türkiye 97.26 2021 56
57 VE Venezuela 97.18 2017 57
58 BA Bosnia and Herzegovina 96.99 2013 58
59 TT Trinidad and Tobago 96.94 1990 59
60 AW Aruba 96.82 2010 60
61 CN China 96.74 2020 61
62 BO Bolivia 96.73 2024 62
63 NR Nauru 96.59 2023 63
64 MO Macao 96.54 2016 64
65 KW Kuwait 96.46 2020 65
66 CL Chile 96.4 2017 66
67 PA Panama 96.23 2024 67
68 NC New Caledonia 96.14 1996 68
69 MK North Macedonia 96.13 2002 69
70 VN Vietnam 96.13 2022 69
71 BN Brunei Darussalam 96.09 2011 71
72 ID Indonesia 96 2020 72
73 MY Malaysia 95.77 2022 73
74 MH Marshall Islands 95.76 2021 74
75 VC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 95.63 1970 75
76 MX Mexico 95.55 2024 76
77 CO Colombia 95.34 2024 77
78 PY Paraguay 94.86 2024 78
79 BR Brazil 94.74 2024 79
80 PT Portugal 94.48 2011 80
81 JO Jordan 94.44 2024 81
82 SY Syria 94.42 2021 82
83 MU Mauritius 94.29 2023 83
84 DO Dominican Republic 94.03 2024 84
85 SC Seychelles 93.95 2010 85
86 GR Greece 93.91 2009 86
87 PE Peru 93.66 2024 87
88 MM Myanmar 93.53 2020 88
89 EC Ecuador 93.49 2024 89
90 MT Malta 93.31 2011 90
91 ZW Zimbabwe 93.23 2019 91
92 SR Suriname 92.87 2012 92
93 LK Sri Lanka 92.74 2024 93
94 PR Puerto Rico 92.39 2017 94
95 LB Lebanon 92.01 2019 95
96 IL Israel 91.75 1983 96
97 ZA South Africa 91.15 2024 97
98 TH Thailand 91.1 2022 98
99 SZ Eswatini 90.75 2022 99
100 LS Lesotho 90.45 2024 100
101 SV El Salvador 89.77 2024 101
102 IR Iran 88.92 2023 102
103 GA Gabon 88.86 2021 103
104 CV Cabo Verde 88.47 2024 104
105 GQ Equatorial Guinea 88.31 2000 105
106 HN Honduras 88.25 2024 106
107 VU Vanuatu 87.96 2023 107
108 BZ Belize 87.88 2022 108
109 NA Namibia 87.64 2023 109
110 ST Sao Tome and Principe 87.44 2019 110
111 NI Nicaragua 87.33 2014 111
112 PG Papua New Guinea 87 2022 112
113 TN Tunisia 86.25 2023 113
114 GY Guyana 85.64 2020 114
115 IQ Iraq 84.06 2021 115
116 KE Kenya 82.23 2000 116
117 GT Guatemala 82.11 2024 117
118 BW Botswana 81.19 2003 118
119 JM Jamaica 79.92 1999 119
120 EG Egypt 79.45 2022 120
121 BD Bangladesh 79 2022 121
122 RW Rwanda 78.76 2022 122
123 TZ Tanzania 78.21 2022 123
124 IN India 78.16 2024 124
125 UG Uganda 77.04 2024 125
126 SB Solomon Islands 76.6 1999 126
127 GH Ghana 76.49 2021 127
128 CG Republic of the Congo 76.11 2005 128
129 LA Laos 75.64 2023 129
130 KM Comoros 75.62 2021 130
131 DZ Algeria 75.14 2008 131
132 MG Madagascar 74.69 2021 132
133 TG Togo 72.6 2022 133
134 CM Cameroon 72.55 2018 134
135 KH Cambodia 71.93 2021 135
136 ZM Zambia 71.77 2024 136
137 BI Burundi 71.34 2020 137
138 NG Nigeria 70.41 2024 138
139 MW Malawi 70.15 2020 139
140 TL Timor-Leste 69.4 2022 140
141 NP Nepal 68.71 2019 141
142 CD Democratic Republic of the Congo 68.5 2023 142
143 AO Angola 68.18 2023 143
144 HT Haiti 68.01 2017 144
145 BT Bhutan 64.91 2022 145
146 ER Eritrea 64.66 2008 146
147 MA Morocco 64.26 2014 147
148 GW Guinea-Bissau 63.93 2022 148
149 MZ Mozambique 61.67 2022 149
150 ET Ethiopia 60.46 2022 150
151 LY Libya 60.16 1984 151
152 MR Mauritania 59.53 2020 152
153 LR Liberia 59.4 2010 153
154 PK Pakistan 58.86 2021 154
155 SO Somalia 54.12 2022 155
156 SD Sudan 53.52 2008 156
157 GM Gambia 51.64 2021 157
158 BJ Benin 51.38 2022 158
159 SN Senegal 50.36 2023 159
160 CI Côte d'Ivoire 50 2021 160
161 SL Sierra Leone 43.58 2019 161
162 CF Central African Republic 42.44 2019 162
163 BF Burkina Faso 41.57 2023 163
164 GN Guinea 39.62 2018 164
165 AF Afghanistan 37.27 2021 165
166 YE Yemen 37.09 1994 166
167 ML Mali 35.63 2024 167
168 NE Niger 35.61 2022 168
169 TD Chad 30.63 2019 169
170 SS South Sudan 26.83 2008 170
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Maximum 100%
Median 93.93%
Minimum 26.83%
World 87.74%

About the indicator

The share of the population aged 15 and older able to read and write a short simple statement about their everyday life. The UNESCO definition is deliberately minimal — it is the threshold of functional literacy, not an assessment of the quality of education. In most countries the data come from censuses and surveys, so they are updated irregularly.

Important: The series is incomplete: values are published only for the years in which a census or a literacy survey was conducted.

Updates
twice a year
Unit of measurement
% of population aged 15+
Observation period
1970–2024
License
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Dataset
UIS Data Centre

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