Adult literacy
percent · OBSERVED 2000–2024
Share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short simple statement about their everyday life. Many high-income countries stopped surveying this, so the figure is often missing rather than low.
- Nations ranked
- 141
- Highest
- 100.0%
- Lowest
- 26.8%
- Observed
- 2000–2024
Press any row — its specimen turns over on the readout ledge. No bests, no worsts: observations, ranked.
This table mixes vintages: each publisher carries a nation’s latest available year, so the observations here run from 2000 to 2024 — every row shows its own.
Press a row — the specimen turns over to its label. Bars are drawn to the highest value. Highest, not best: this page orders figures, it does not grade nations.
- Observed 2008 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank01 North Korea100.0% 2008
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank01 Uzbekistan100.0% 2022
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank03 Russia99.9% 2021
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank04 San Marino99.9% 2022
- Observed 2011 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank05 Latvia99.9% 2011
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank05 Turkmenistan99.9% 2022
- Observed 2011 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank07 Estonia99.9% 2011
- Observed 2019 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank08 Belarus99.9% 2019
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank09 Armenia99.8% 2023
- Observed 2011 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank10 Lithuania99.8% 2011
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank11 Azerbaijan99.8% 2023
- Observed 2009 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank12 Kazakhstan99.7% 2009
- Observed 2009 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank13 Tajikistan99.7% 2009
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank14 Spain99.7% 2021
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank15 Georgia99.7% 2024
- Observed 2001 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank16 Ukraine99.4% 2001
- Observed 2014 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank17 Moldova99.4% 2014
- Observed 2019 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank18 Italy99.3% 2019
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank19 Serbia99.3% 2022
- Observed 2009 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank20 Kyrgyzstan99.2% 2009
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank21 Romania99.2% 2021
- Observed 2020 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank22 Argentina99.1% 2020
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank23 Uruguay98.9% 2024
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank98.8% 2024
- Observed 2011 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank25 Cyprus98.7% 2011
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank26 Mongolia98.6% 2024
- Observed 2018 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank27 Montenegro98.5% 2018
- Observed 2020 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank28 Philippines98.5% 2020
- Observed 2011 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank29 Bulgaria98.3% 2011
- Observed 2001 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank30 Croatia98.2% 2001
- Observed 2008 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank31 South Korea98.0% 2008
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank32 Palestine97.9% 2024
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank33 Saudi Arabia97.9% 2024
- Observed 2014 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank34 Qatar97.8% 2014
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank35 Albania97.7% 2023
- Observed 2019 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank36 Cuba97.7% 2019
- Observed 2011 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank37 Costa Rica97.4% 2011
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank38 Oman97.3% 2022
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank39 Türkiye97.3% 2021
- Observed 2017 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank40 Venezuela97.2% 2017
- Observed 2013 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank97.0% 2013
- Observed 2020 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank42 China96.7% 2020
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank43 Bolivia96.7% 2024
- Observed 2020 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank44 Kuwait96.5% 2020
- Observed 2017 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank45 Chile96.4% 2017
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank46 Panama96.2% 2024
- Observed 2002 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank96.1% 2002
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank47 Vietnam96.1% 2022
- Observed 2011 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank49 Brunei96.1% 2011
- Observed 2020 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank50 Indonesia96.0% 2020
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank51 Malaysia95.8% 2022
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank52 Mexico95.6% 2024
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank53 Colombia95.3% 2024
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank54 Paraguay94.9% 2024
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank55 Brazil94.7% 2024
- Observed 2011 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank56 Portugal94.5% 2011
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank57 Jordan94.4% 2024
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank58 Syria94.4% 2021
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank59 Mauritius94.3% 2023
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank94.0% 2024
- Observed 2010 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank61 Seychelles93.9% 2010
- Observed 2009 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank62 Greece93.9% 2009
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank63 Peru93.7% 2024
- Observed 2020 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank64 Myanmar93.5% 2020
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank65 Ecuador93.5% 2024
- Observed 2011 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank66 Malta93.3% 2011
- Observed 2019 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank67 Zimbabwe93.2% 2019
- Observed 2012 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank68 Suriname92.9% 2012
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank69 Sri Lanka92.7% 2024
- Observed 2017 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank70 Puerto Rico92.4% 2017
- Observed 2019 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank71 Lebanon92.0% 2019
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank72 South Africa91.2% 2024
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank73 Thailand91.1% 2022
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank74 Eswatini90.8% 2022
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank75 Lesotho90.4% 2024
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank76 El Salvador89.8% 2024
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank77 Iran88.9% 2023
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank78 Gabon88.9% 2021
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank79 Cape Verde88.5% 2024
- Observed 2000 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank88.3% 2000
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank81 Honduras88.3% 2024
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank82 Vanuatu88.0% 2023
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank83 Belize87.9% 2022
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank84 Namibia87.6% 2023
- Observed 2019 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank87.4% 2019
- Observed 2014 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank86 Nicaragua87.3% 2014
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank87.0% 2022
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank88 Tunisia86.3% 2023
- Observed 2020 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank89 Guyana85.6% 2020
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank90 Iraq84.1% 2021
- Observed 2000 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank91 Kenya82.2% 2000
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank92 Guatemala82.1% 2024
- Observed 2003 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank93 Botswana81.2% 2003
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank94 Egypt79.5% 2022
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank95 Bangladesh79.0% 2022
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank96 Rwanda78.8% 2022
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank97 Tanzania78.2% 2022
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank98 India78.2% 2024
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank99 Uganda77.0% 2024
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank100 Ghana76.5% 2021
- Observed 2005 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank101 Congo76.1% 2005
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank102 Laos75.6% 2023
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank103 Comoros75.6% 2021
- Observed 2008 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank104 Algeria75.1% 2008
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank105 Madagascar74.7% 2021
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank106 Togo72.6% 2022
- Observed 2018 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank107 Cameroon72.6% 2018
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank108 Cambodia71.9% 2021
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank109 Zambia71.8% 2024
- Observed 2020 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank110 Burundi71.3% 2020
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank111 Nigeria70.4% 2024
- Observed 2020 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank112 Malawi70.2% 2020
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank113 Timor-Leste69.4% 2022
- Observed 2019 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank114 Nepal68.7% 2019
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank115 DR Congo68.5% 2023
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank116 Angola68.2% 2023
- Observed 2017 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank117 Haiti68.0% 2017
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank118 Bhutan64.9% 2022
- Observed 2008 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank119 Eritrea64.7% 2008
- Observed 2014 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank120 Morocco64.3% 2014
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank121 Guinea-Bissau63.9% 2022
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank122 Mozambique61.7% 2022
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank123 Ethiopia60.5% 2022
- Observed 2020 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank124 Mauritania59.5% 2020
- Observed 2010 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank125 Liberia59.4% 2010
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank126 Pakistan58.9% 2021
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank127 Somalia54.1% 2022
- Observed 2008 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank128 Sudan53.5% 2008
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank129 Gambia51.6% 2021
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank130 Benin51.4% 2022
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank131 Senegal50.4% 2023
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank132 Ivory Coast50.0% 2021
- Observed 2019 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank133 Sierra Leone43.6% 2019
- Observed 2019 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank42.4% 2019
- Observed 2023 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank135 Burkina Faso41.6% 2023
- Observed 2018 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank136 Guinea39.6% 2018
- Observed 2021 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank137 Afghanistan37.3% 2021
- Observed 2024 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank138 Mali35.6% 2024
- Observed 2022 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank139 Niger35.6% 2022
- Observed 2019 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank140 Chad30.6% 2019
- Observed 2008 · UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank141 South Sudan26.8% 2008
Not observed
45 nations publish no figure for this indicator in the sources below. Absence is a fact about the world’s statistical apparatus, not a zero — these nations hold their place as hatched gaps, and a gap has no underside to turn over.
- AndorraNOT OBSERVED
- AntarcticaNOT OBSERVED
Antarctica has no permanent population and no national government — it is administered under the Antarctic Treaty. No statistical agency compiles national indicators for it, so there is nothing here to report.
- AustraliaNOT OBSERVED
- AustriaNOT OBSERVED
- BahamasNOT OBSERVED
- BelgiumNOT OBSERVED
- CanadaNOT OBSERVED
- CzechiaNOT OBSERVED
- DenmarkNOT OBSERVED
- DjiboutiNOT OBSERVED
- Falkland IslandsNOT OBSERVED
The Falkland Islands are a British Overseas Territory, administered by the United Kingdom; sovereignty is disputed by Argentina. They are not a separate reporting entity in World Bank datasets.
- FijiNOT OBSERVED
- FinlandNOT OBSERVED
- FranceNOT OBSERVED
- French Southern and Antarctic LandsNOT OBSERVED
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands have no permanent civilian population. They are administered from Réunion as an overseas territory of France and are not a separate reporting entity in international datasets.
- GermanyNOT OBSERVED
- GreenlandNOT OBSERVED
- HungaryNOT OBSERVED
- IcelandNOT OBSERVED
- IrelandNOT OBSERVED
- JamaicaNOT OBSERVED
- JapanNOT OBSERVED
- KosovoNOT OBSERVED
- LibyaNOT OBSERVED
- LiechtensteinNOT OBSERVED
- LuxembourgNOT OBSERVED
- MonacoNOT OBSERVED
- NetherlandsNOT OBSERVED
- New CaledoniaNOT OBSERVED
- New ZealandNOT OBSERVED
- Northern CyprusNOT OBSERVED
Northern Cyprus is recognised as a state by Türkiye alone. It is not a member of the United Nations or the World Bank, and does not appear as a separate entity in the datasets these indicators are drawn from.
- NorwayNOT OBSERVED
- PolandNOT OBSERVED
- SlovakiaNOT OBSERVED
- SloveniaNOT OBSERVED
- Solomon IslandsNOT OBSERVED
- SomalilandNOT OBSERVED
Somaliland declared independence in 1991 and has not been recognised by the United Nations or any member state. Where its figures are collected at all, they are reported within Somalia's.
- SwedenNOT OBSERVED
- SwitzerlandNOT OBSERVED
- TaiwanNOT OBSERVED
Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, and is excluded from the World Bank and UN series that supply most of this dossier. Its own statistical agencies publish extensively.
- Trinidad and TobagoNOT OBSERVED
- United KingdomNOT OBSERVED
- United StatesNOT OBSERVED
- Vatican CityNOT OBSERVED
Vatican City has a resident population of a few hundred and does not compile the economic and social series these indicators are drawn from.
- YemenNOT OBSERVED