Social indicators

Introduction | Statistics
Indicators on literacy
Last update: Dec 2007
Country or area
Year
Total
Men
Women
Total
Men
Women
Afghanistan 2000
28
43
13
34
51
18
Albania 2001
99
99
98
99
99
99
Algeria 2002
70
80
60
90
94
86
Angola 2001
67
83
54
72
84
63
Argentina 2001
97
97
97
99
99
99
Armenia 2001
99
100
99
100
100
100
Aruba 2000
97
98
97
99
99
99
Azerbaijan 1999
99
99
98
100
100
100
Bahrain 2001
87
89
84
97
97
97
Bangladesh 2001
47
54
41
64
67
60
Belarus 1999
100
100
99
100
100
100
Benin 2002
35
48
23
45
59
33
Bolivia 2001
87
93
81
97
99
96
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2000
97
99
94
100
100
100
Botswana 2003
81
80
82
94
92
96
Brazil 2004
89
88
89
97
96
98
Brunei Darussalam 2001
93
95
90
99
99
99
Bulgaria 2001
98
99
98
98
98
98
Burkina Faso 2005
24
31
17
33
40
26
Burundi 2000
59
67
52
73
77
70
Cambodia 2004
74
85
64
83
88
79
Cameroon 2001
68
77
60
…
…
…
Cape Verde 2004 a
81
88
76
96
96
97
Central African Republic 2000
49
65
33
59
70
47
Chad 2000
26
41
13
38
56
23
Chile 2002
96
96
96
99
99
99
China 2000
91
95
87
99
99
99
Colombia 2005
93
93
93
98
98
98
Congo 2004 a
85
91
79
97
98
97
Cook Islands 1996 c
...
...
...
93
...
...
Costa Rica 2000
95
95
95
98
97
98
Côte d'Ivoire 2000
49
61
39
61
71
52
Croatia 2001
98
99
97
100
100
100
Cuba 2002
100
100
100
100
100
100
Cyprus 2001
97
99
95
100
100
100
Democratic Republic of the Congo 2001
67
81
54
70
78
63
Dominican Republic 2002
87
87
87
94
93
95
Ecuador 2001
91
92
90
96
96
96
Egypt 2005
71
83
59
85
90
79
El Salvador 2004 a
81
82
79
88
87
90
Equatorial Guinea 2000
87
93
80
95
95
95
Estonia 2000
100
100
100
100
100
100
Ethiopia 2004
36
50
23
50
62
39
Fiji 1996 c
...
...
...
93
...
...
Gabon 2004 a
84
88
80
96
97
95
Ghana 2000
58
66
50
71
76
65
Greece 2001
96
98
94
99
99
99
Guatemala 2002
69
75
63
82
86
78
Guinea 2003
29
43
18
47
59
34
Honduras 2001
80
80
80
89
87
91
India 2001
61
73
48
76
84
68
Indonesia 2004
90
94
87
99
99
99
Iran, Islamic Republic of 2005
82
88
77
97
98
97
Iraq 2000
74
84
64
85
89
80
Italy 2001
98
99
98
100
100
100
Jamaica 1999
80
74
86
…
…
…
Jordan 2005
91
95
87
99
99
99
Kazakhstan 1999
100
100
99
100
100
100
Kenya 2000
74
78
70
80
80
81
Kiribati 1990 c
...
...
...
92
...
...
Kuwait 2005
93
94
91
100
100
100
Kyrgyzstan 1999
99
99
98
100
100
100
Lao People's Democratic Republic 2001
69
77
61
78
83
75
Latvia 2000
100
100
100
100
100
100
Lesotho 2001
82
74
90
…
…
…
Liberia 2004 a
52
58
46
67
65
69
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 2004 a
84
93
75
98
100
96
Lithuania 2001
100
100
100
100
100
100
Macao, China 2001
91
95
88
100
99
100
Madagascar 2000
71
77
65
70
73
68
Malaysia 2000
89
92
85
97
97
97
Maldives 2000
96
96
96
98
98
98
Mali 2003
24
33
16
…
…
…
Marshall Islands 1989 c
...
...
...
74
...
...
Mauritania 2000
51
60
43
61
68
55
Mauritius 2000
84
88
81
95
94
95
Mexico 2005
92
93
90
…
98
98
Micronesia (Federated States of) 1994 c
...
...
...
71
...
...
Mongolia 2000
98
98
98
98
97
98
Montenegro 2002 b
96
99
94
99
99
99
Morocco 2004
52
66
40
70
81
60
Myanmar 2000
90
94
86
95
96
93
Namibia 2001
85
87
83
92
91
93
Nepal 2001
49
63
35
70
81
60
Netherlands Antilles 2004 a
96
96
96
…
98
98
Nicaragua 2001
77
77
77
…
84
89
Niger 2005
29
43
15
37
52
23
Nigeria 2004 a
69
78
60
84
87
81
Niue 2001 c
...
...
...
95
...
...
Oman 2003
81
87
74
97
98
97
Pakistan 2005
50
64
35
65
77
53
Palau 1995 c
...
...
...
91
...
...
Palestinian Autonomous Territories 2004
92
97
88
99
99
99
Panama 2000
92
93
91
96
97
96
Papua New Guinea 2000
57
63
51
67
69
64
Paraguay 2004 a
93
94
93
96
96
96
Peru 2005
88
94
82
97
98
96
Philippines 2003
93
92
94
95
94
97
Portugal 2004 a
94
96
92
100
100
100
Qatar 2004
89
89
89
96
95
98
Republic of Moldova 2004 a
99
100
99
100
100
100
Romania 2002
97
98
96
98
98
98
Russian Federation 2002
99
100
99
100
100
100
Rwanda 2000
65
71
60
78
79
77
Samoa 2004 a
99
99
98
99
99
99
Sao Tome and Principe 2001
85
92
78
95
96
95
Saudi Arabia 2004
83
88
76
96
97
95
Senegal 2002
39
51
29
49
58
41
Serbia 2002 b
96
99
94
99
99
99
Seychelles 2002
92
91
92
99
99
99
Sierra Leone 2004
35
47
24
48
60
37
Slovenia 2004 a
100
100
100
100
100
100
Solomon Islands 1991 c
...
...
...
62
...
...
Sri Lanka 2001
91
92
89
96
95
96
Sudan 2000
61
71
52
77
85
71
Suriname 2004
90
92
87
95
96
94
Swaziland 2000
80
81
78
88
87
90
Syrian Arab Republic 2004
81
88
74
92
95
90
Tajikistan 2000
99
100
99
100
100
100
Thailand 2000
93
95
91
98
98
98
The former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia 2002
96
98
94
99
99
98
Togo 2000
53
69
38
74
84
64
Tokelau 2003 c
...
...
...
87
...
...
Tonga 1996 c
...
...
...
99
...
...
Trinidad and Tobago 2004 a
98
99
98
99
99
99
Tunisia 2004
74
83
65
94
96
92
Turkey 2004
87
95
80
96
98
93
Tuvalu 1991 c
...
...
...
95
...
...
Uganda 2002
67
77
58
77
83
71
Ukraine 2001
99
100
99
100
100
100
United Arab Emirates 2004 a
89
89
88
97
98
95
United Republic of Tanzania 2002
69
78
62
78
81
76
Vanuatu 1999
74
…
…
…
…
…
Venezuela 2001
93
93
93
97
96
98
Viet Nam 1999
90
94
87
94
94
94
Yemen 2004 a
54
73
35
75
91
59
Zambia 1999
68
76
60
69
73
66
Zimbabwe 2004 a
89
93
86
98
97
98

 

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 October 2007), supplemented by data compiled by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), available from the SPC website http://www.spc.int/prism/mdg/educationsummary.html.

Footnotes:

...
 Not available.
a
 UIS estimation.
b
 Data refer to Serbia and Montenegro
c
 Data published by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

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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.