Social indicators

Introduction | Statistics

Download data Excel

Indicators on literacy
Last update: December 2009
Country or area
Year
Total
Men
Women
Total
Men
Women
Afghanistan 2000
28
43
13
34
51
18
Albania 2007  
a
99
99
99
99
99
99
Algeria 2007  
a
75
84
66
92
94
91
Angola 2001
67
83
54
72
84
63
Antigua and Barbuda 2004
99
99
98
...
...
...
Argentina 2007  
a
98
98
98
99
99
99
Armenia 2007  
a
99
100
99
100
100
100
Aruba 2007  
a
98
98
98
99
99
99
Azerbaijan 2007
100
100
99
100
100
100
Bahrain 2007  
a
89
90
86
100
100
100
Bangladesh 2007  
a
53
59
48
72
71
73
Belarus 2007  
a
100
100
100
100
100
100
Benin 2007  
a
41
53
28
52
63
41
Bhutan 2005
53
65
39
74
80
68
Bolivia 2007
91
96
86
99
100
99
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2000
97
99
94
100
100
100
Botswana 2007  
a
83
83
83
94
93
95
Brazil 2007
90
90
90
98
97
99
Brunei Darussalam 2007  
a
95
96
93
100
100
100
Bulgaria 2007  
a
98
99
98
97
98
97
Burkina Faso 2007  
a
29
37
22
39
47
33
Burundi 2000
59
67
52
73
77
70
Cambodia 2007  
a
76
86
68
86
90
83
Cameroon 2001
68
60
77
...
...
...
Cape Verde 2007  
a
84
89
79
97
97
98
Cayman Islands 2007
99
99
99
99
99
99
Central African Republic 2000
49
65
33
59
70
47
Chad 2007  
a
32
43
21
44
53
35
Chile 2007  
a
97
97
96
99
99
99
China 2007  
a
93
96
90
99
99
99
China, Macao SAR 2006
93
96
91
100
100
100
Colombia 2007
93
92
93
98
97
98
Comoros 2007  
a
75
80
70
89
92
87
Costa Rica 2007  
a
96
96
96
98
98
98
Côte d'Ivoire 2000
49
61
39
61
71
52
Croatia 2007  
a
99
99
98
100
100
100
Cuba 2007  
a
100
100
100
100
100
100
Cyprus 2007  
a
98
99
97
100
100
100
Democratic Republic of the Congo 2001
67
81
54
70
78
63
Dominican Republic 2007  
a
89
89
90
96
95
97
Ecuador 2007
84
87
82
95
95
96
Egypt 2006
66
75
58
85
88
82
El Salvador 2007
82
85
80
94
93
94
Equatorial Guinea 2000
87
93
80
95
95
95
Eritrea 2007  
a
64
76
53
86
90
83
Estonia 2007  
a
100
100
100
100
100
100
Ethiopia 2007  
a
36
50
23
50
62
39
Gabon 2007  
a
86
90
82
97
98
96
Ghana 2007  
a
65
72
58
78
80
76
Greece 2007  
a
97
98
96
99
99
99
Guatemala 2007  
a
73
79
68
85
88
83
Guinea 2003
29
43
18
47
59
34
Honduras 2007
84
84
83
94
93
95
Hungary 2007  
a
99
99
99
99
98
99
India 2007  
a
66
77
54
82
87
77
Indonesia 2006
92
95
89
97
97
96
Iran, Islamic Republic of 2006
82
87
77
97
97
96
Iraq 2000
74
84
64
85
89
80
Italy 2007  
a
99
99
99
100
100
100
Jamaica 2007  
a
86
81
91
94
91
98
Jordan 2005
91
95
87
99
99
99
Kazakhstan 2007  
a
100
100
99
100
100
100
Kenya 2000
74
78
70
80
80
81
Kuwait 2007
94
95
93
98
98
99
Kyrgyzstan 2007  
a
99
100
99
100
100
100
Lao People's Democratic Republic 2005
73
82
63
84
89
79
Latvia 2007  
a
100
100
100
100
100
100
Lebanon 2007
90
93
86
99
98
99
Lesotho 2001
82
90
74
...
...
...
Liberia 2007  
a
56
60
51
72
68
76
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 2007  
a
87
94
78
99
100
98
Lithuania 2007  
a
100
100
100
100
100
100
Madagascar 2000
71
77
65
70
73
68
Malawi 2007  
a
72
79
65
83
84
82
Malaysia 2007  
a
92
94
90
98
98
98
Maldives 2007  
a
97
97
97
98
98
98
Mali 2006
26
35
18
39
47
31
Malta 2005
92
91
94
98
97
99
Mauritania 2007  
a
56
63
48
66
70
62
Mauritius 2007  
a
87
90
85
96
95
97
Mexico 2007
93
94
91
98
98
98
Mongolia 2007  
a
97
97
98
95
94
97
Morocco 2007  
a
56
69
43
75
84
67
Mozambique 2007  
a
44
57
33
53
58
47
Myanmar 2000
90
94
86
95
96
93
Namibia 2007  
a
88
89
87
93
91
94
Nepal 2007  
a
57
70
44
79
85
73
Netherlands Antilles 2007  
a
96
96
96
98
98
98
Nicaragua 2005
78
78
78
87
85
89
Niger 2005
29
43
15
37
52
23
Nigeria 2007  
a
72
80
64
87
89
85
Occupied Palestinian Territory 2007
94
97
90
99
99
99
Oman 2007  
a
84
89
77
98
99
98
Pakistan 2006
54
68
40
69
79
58
Panama 2007  
a
93
94
93
96
97
96
Papua New Guinea 2007  
a
58
62
53
64
63
65
Paraguay 2007
95
96
93
99
99
99
Peru 2007
90
95
85
97
98
97
Philippines 2007  
a
93
93
94
94
94
95
Poland 2007  
a
99
100
99
99
100
99
Portugal 2007  
a
95
97
93
100
100
100
Qatar 2007
93
94
90
99
99
99
Republic of Moldova 2007  
a
99
100
99
100
100
100
Romania 2007  
a
98
98
97
97
97
98
Russian Federation 2007  
a
100
100
99
100
100
100
Rwanda 2000
65
71
60
78
79
77
Samoa 2007  
a
99
99
98
99
99
99
Sao Tome and Principe 2007  
a
88
93
83
95
95
95
Saudi Arabia 2007  
a
85
89
79
97
98
96
Senegal 2006
42
52
33
51
58
45
Seychelles 2002
92
91
92
99
99
99
Sierra Leone 2007  
a
38
50
27
54
64
44
Singapore 2007  
a
94
97
92
100
100
100
Slovenia 2007  
a
100
100
100
100
100
100
South Africa 2007  
a
88
89
87
95
95
96
Spain 2007  
a
98
99
97
100
100
100
Sri Lanka 2006
91
93
89
97
97
98
Sudan 2000
61
71
52
77
85
71
Suriname 2007  
a
90
93
88
95
96
95
Swaziland 2007  
a
84
84
84
94
92
96
Syrian Arab Republic 2007  
a
83
90
76
94
95
92
Tajikistan 2007  
a
100
100
100
100
100
100
TFYR of Macedonia 2007  
a
97
99
95
99
99
99
Thailand 2007  
a
94
96
93
98
98
98
Togo 2000
53
69
38
74
84
64
Tonga 2007  
a
99
99
99
100
100
100
Trinidad and Tobago 2007  
a
99
99
98
100
100
100
Tunisia 2007  
a
78
86
69
96
97
94
Turkey 2007
89
96
81
96
99
94
Turkmenistan 2007  
a
100
100
99
100
100
100
Uganda 2007  
a
74
82
66
86
88
84
Ukraine 2007  
a
100
100
100
100
100
100
United Arab Emirates 2005
90
89
91
95
94
97
United Republic of Tanzania 2007  
a
72
79
66
78
79
76
Uruguay 2007
98
97
98
99
98
99
Uzbekistan 2000
97
98
96
99
99
99
Vanuatu 2007  
a
78
80
76
92
92
92
Venezuela 2007
95
95
95
98
98
99
Vietnam 1999
90
87
94
94
94
94
Yemen 2007  
a
59
77
40
80
93
67
Zambia 2007  
a
71
81
61
75
82
68
Zimbabwe 2007  
a
91
94
88
91
94
88

 

Sources:

UNESCO Institute for Statistics, National literacy rates for youths (15-24) and adults (15+), available from UIS website, http://www.uis.unesco.org (accessed December 2009).

Footnotes:

...
 Not available.
a
 UIS estimation.

Top

Technical notes:

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines a literate person as someone who can both read and write with understanding, a short, simple statement on his or her everyday life. A person who can only read but not write, or can write but not read is considered to be illiterate. A person who can only write figures, his or her name or a memorized ritual phrase is also not considered literate.

This definition of literacy is widely used in national population censuses and surveys but its interpretation and application may vary to some extent among countries, depending on national, social and cultural circumstances. Furthermore, this concept of literacy includes persons who, though familiar with the basics of reading and writing, might still be considered functionally illiterate.

For many countries or areas, literacy rates are not available for one or more of the following reasons: (a) illiteracy is believed to have been reduced to minimal levels through several decades of universal primary education, (b) it has not been possible to establish revised estimates following recent mass literacy campaigns, (c) not even a minimal database is available for making rough estimates, or (d) countries have preferred that no estimate be published.