Literacy Rates - world statistics and charts as map, diagram and table
Literacy rates of the countries of the world
| Rank (total) | Country | Total (percent) | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andorra | 100.0 | 2016 |
| 1 | Greenland | 100.0 | 2015 |
| 1 | Korea (North) | 100.0 | 2015 |
| 1 | Uzbekistan | 100.0 | 2016 |
| 5 | Latvia | 99.9 | 2015 |
| 5 | San Marino | 99.9 | |
| 7 | Azerbaijan | 99.8 | 2017 |
| 7 | Belarus | 99.8 | 2018 |
| 7 | Cuba | 99.8 | 2015 |
| 7 | Estonia | 99.8 | 2015 |
| 7 | Kazakhstan | 99.8 | 2015 |
| 7 | Lithuania | 99.8 | 2015 |
| 7 | Poland | 99.8 | 2015 |
| 7 | Tajikistan | 99.8 | 2015 |
| 7 | Ukraine | 99.8 | 2015 |
| 16 | Armenia | 99.7 | 2017 |
| 16 | Russia | 99.7 | 2018 |
| 16 | Slovenia | 99.7 | 2015 |
| 16 | Turkmenistan | 99.7 | 2015 |
| 20 | Barbados | 99.6 | 2014 |
| 20 | Kyrgyzstan | 99.6 | 2018 |
| 22 | Georgia | 99.4 | 2017 |
| 22 | Moldova | 99.4 | 2015 |
| 22 | Tonga | 99.4 | 2015 |
| 25 | Croatia | 99.3 | 2015 |
| 26 | Italy | 99.2 | 2018 |
| 27 | Cyprus | 99.1 | 2015 |
| 27 | Fiji | 99.1 | 2018 |
| 27 | Hungary | 99.1 | 2015 |
| 27 | Samoa | 99.1 | 2018 |
| 31 | Antigua and Barbuda | 99.0 | 2015 |
| 31 | Argentina | 99.0 | 2018 |
| 31 | Czech Republic | 99.0 | 2011 |
| 31 | Trinidad and Tobago | 99.0 | 2015 |
| 35 | Cayman Islands | 98.9 | 2007 |
| 36 | Montenegro | 98.8 | 2018 |
| 36 | Romania | 98.8 | 2018 |
| 38 | Uruguay | 98.7 | 2018 |
| 39 | Grenada | 98.6 | 2014 est. |
| 40 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 98.5 | 2015 |
| 40 | Taiwan | 98.5 | 2014 |
| 42 | Bulgaria | 98.4 | 2015 |
| 42 | Mongolia | 98.4 | 2018 |
| 42 | Spain | 98.4 | 2018 |
| 45 | Marshall Islands | 98.3 | 2011 |
| 45 | Serbia | 98.3 | 2016 |
| 47 | Jordan | 98.2 | 2018 |
| 47 | Philippines | 98.2 | 2015 |
| 49 | Albania | 98.1 | 2018 |
| 50 | Costa Rica | 97.9 | 2018 |
| 51 | Aruba | 97.8 | 2018 |
| 51 | Israel | 97.8 | 2011 |
| 51 | North Macedonia | 97.8 | 2015 |
| 54 | Greece | 97.7 | 2015 |
| 54 | Maldives | 97.7 | 2016 |
| 56 | Bahrain | 97.5 | 2018 |
| 57 | Singapore | 97.3 | 2018 |
| 58 | Brunei | 97.2 | 2018 |
| 58 | Palestinian Territories | 97.2 | 2018 |
| 60 | Venezuela | 97.1 | 2016 |
| 61 | New Caledonia | 96.9 | 2015 |
| 62 | China | 96.8 | 2018 |
| 63 | Palau | 96.6 | 2015 |
| 64 | Macau | 96.5 | 2016 |
| 65 | Chile | 96.4 | 2017 |
| 66 | Turkey | 96.2 | 2017 |
| 67 | Kuwait | 96.1 | 2018 |
| 67 | Portugal | 96.1 | 2018 |
| 69 | Seychelles | 95.9 | 2018 |
| 70 | Indonesia | 95.7 | 2018 |
| 70 | Oman | 95.7 | 2018 |
| 72 | Mexico | 95.4 | 2018 |
| 72 | Panama | 95.4 | 2018 |
| 74 | Equatorial Guinea | 95.3 | 2015 |
| 74 | Saudi Arabia | 95.3 | 2017 |
| 76 | Colombia | 95.1 | 2018 |
| 76 | Lebanon | 95.1 | 2018 |
| 78 | Vietnam | 95.0 | 2018 |
| 79 | Malta | 94.5 | 2018 |
| 80 | Peru | 94.4 | 2018 |
| 80 | Suriname | 94.4 | 2018 |
| 82 | Paraguay | 94.0 | 2018 |
| 83 | Dominican Republic | 93.8 | 2016 |
| 83 | United Arab Emirates | 93.8 | 2015 |
| 85 | Malaysia | 93.7 | 2016 |
| 86 | Qatar | 93.5 | 2017 |
| 87 | Brazil | 93.2 | 2018 |
| 88 | Thailand | 92.9 | 2015 |
| 89 | Ecuador | 92.8 | 2017 |
| 89 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 92.8 | 2018 |
| 91 | Bolivia | 92.5 | 2015 |
| 92 | Puerto Rico | 92.4 | 2017 |
| 93 | Sri Lanka | 91.9 | 2017 |
| 94 | Namibia | 91.5 | 2018 |
| 95 | Mauritius | 91.3 | 2018 |
| 96 | Libya | 91.0 | 2015 |
| 97 | Jamaica | 88.7 | 2015 |
| 98 | Botswana | 88.5 | 2015 |
| 98 | El Salvador | 88.5 | 2017 |
| 98 | Guyana | 88.5 | 2015 |
| 101 | Eswatini | 88.4 | 2015 |
| 102 | Vanuatu | 87.5 | 2018 |
| 103 | Honduras | 87.2 | 2016 |
| 104 | South Africa | 87.0 | 2017 |
| 105 | Cape Verde | 86.8 | 2015 |
| 106 | Zambia | 86.7 | 2018 |
| 107 | Zimbabwe | 86.5 | 2015 |
| 108 | Syria | 86.4 | 2015 |
| 109 | Iran | 85.5 | 2016 |
| 110 | Gabon | 84.7 | 2018 |
| 110 | Laos | 84.7 | 2015 |
| 112 | Nicaragua | 82.6 | 2015 |
| 113 | Tunisia | 81.8 | 2015 |
| 114 | Guatemala | 81.5 | 2015 |
| 114 | Kenya | 81.5 | 2018 |
| 116 | Algeria | 81.4 | 2018 |
| 117 | Cambodia | 80.5 | 2015 |
| 118 | Congo (Republic) | 80.3 | 2018 |
| 119 | Lesotho | 79.4 | 2015 |
| 120 | Tanzania | 77.9 | 2015 |
| 121 | Cameroon | 77.1 | 2018 |
| 122 | Congo (Democratic Republic) | 77.0 | 2016 |
| 123 | Eritrea | 76.6 | 2018 |
| 123 | Ghana | 76.6 | 2015 |
| 125 | Uganda | 76.5 | 2018 |
| 126 | Myanmar (Burma) | 75.6 | 2016 |
| 127 | Madagascar | 74.8 | 2018 |
| 128 | India | 74.4 | 2018 |
| 129 | Bangladesh | 73.9 | 2018 |
| 130 | Morocco | 73.8 | 2018 |
| 131 | Rwanda | 73.2 | 2018 |
| 132 | Egypt | 71.2 | 2017 |
| 133 | Angola | 71.1 | 2015 |
| 134 | Yemen | 70.1 | 2015 |
| 135 | Burundi | 68.4 | 2017 |
| 136 | East Timor | 68.1 | 2018 |
| 137 | Nepal | 67.9 | 2018 |
| 138 | Bhutan | 66.6 | 2017 |
| 139 | Papua New Guinea | 64.2 | 2015 |
| 140 | Togo | 63.7 | 2015 |
| 141 | Malawi | 62.1 | 2015 |
| 142 | Nigeria | 62.0 | 2018 |
| 143 | Haiti | 61.7 | 2016 |
| 144 | Mozambique | 60.7 | 2017 |
| 144 | Sudan | 60.7 | 2018 |
| 146 | Guinea-Bissau | 59.9 | 2015 |
| 147 | Pakistan | 59.1 | 2015 |
| 148 | Comoros | 58.8 | 2018 |
| 149 | Mauritania | 53.5 | 2017 |
| 150 | Senegal | 51.9 | 2017 |
| 151 | Ethiopia | 51.8 | 2017 |
| 152 | Gambia | 50.8 | 2015 |
| 153 | Iraq | 50.1 | 2018 |
| 154 | Liberia | 48.3 | 2017 |
| 155 | Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | 47.2 | 2018 |
| 156 | Sierra Leone | 43.2 | 2018 |
| 157 | Afghanistan | 43.0 | 2018 |
| 158 | Benin | 42.4 | 2018 |
| 159 | Burkina Faso | 41.2 | 2018 |
| 160 | Central African Republic | 37.4 | 2018 |
| 161 | Mali | 35.5 | 2018 |
| 162 | South Sudan | 34.5 | 2018 |
| 163 | Guinea | 30.4 | 2015 |
| 164 | Chad | 22.3 | 2016 |
| 165 | Niger | 19.1 | 2015 |
| World | 86.3 | 2016 est. |
No information is available for non-listed countries.
There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Most presented rates are based on the ability to read and write at a specified age. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons. Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world.
Source: CIA World Factbook (2020-05-14)