social2024
Literacy rate among adults aged 15+
Latest available country observation from Our World in Data, based on the chart's cited sources. The series currently runs through 2024; countries can have different observation years.
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Key Insights
Global Average
85.7%
Median: 94.0%
Countries Covered
180
with available data
Highest
North Korea
100.0%
Lowest
South Sudan
26.8%
Top 5 Countries
1North Korea100.0%
2Tokelau100.0%
3Tuvalu100.0%
4Uzbekistan100.0%
5Russian Federation99.9%
By Region
Europe98.6%(16 countries)
South America96.0%(7 countries)
North America88.8%(2 countries)
Asia87.3%(24 countries)
Other83.9%(122 countries)
Country Rankings
Top 10 Countries
Bottom 10 Countries
Data Analysis
Value Distribution
How countries are distributed across the value range
Low (26.8%)High (100.0%)
Regional Comparison
Average values by world region (Global avg: 85.7%)
Europe (16)
South America (7)
North America (2)
Asia (24)
Other (122)
Africa (9)
Percentile Profile
The curve shows how values change from the lowest to the highest country. Steep sections reveal inequality or outliers.
0th percentile · lowest100th percentile · highest
About This Statistic
Latest available country observation from Our World in Data, based on the chart's cited sources. The series currently runs through 2024; countries can have different observation years. Source: Our World in Data.
Methodology
Country values are taken from the latest observation available in the linked source series.
Full Data
| Rank ↑ | Country ↕ | Value ↕ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Korea | 100.0% |
| 2 | Tokelau | 100.0% |
| 3 | Tuvalu | 100.0% |
| 4 | Uzbekistan | 100.0% |
| 5 | Russian Federation | 99.9% |
| 6 | San Marino | 99.9% |
| 7 | Latvia | 99.9% |
| 8 | Turkmenistan | 99.9% |
| 9 | Estonia | 99.9% |
| 10 | Belarus | 99.9% |
| 11 | Palau | 99.8% |
| 12 | Armenia | 99.8% |
| 13 | Lithuania | 99.8% |
| 14 | Azerbaijan | 99.8% |
| 15 | Kazakhstan | 99.7% |
| 16 | Tajikistan | 99.7% |
| 17 | Spain | 99.7% |
| 18 | Georgia | 99.7% |
| 19 | Slovenia | 99.5% |
| 20 | Tonga | 99.5% |
| 21 | Wallis and Futuna | 99.4% |
| 22 | Ukraine | 99.4% |
| 23 | Guam | 99.4% |
| 24 | Moldova, Republic of | 99.4% |
| 25 | Italy | 99.4% |
| 26 | Serbia | 99.3% |
| 27 | Qatar | 99.3% |
| 28 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 99.3% |
| 29 | Barbados | 99.3% |
| 30 | Kyrgyzstan | 99.2% |
| 31 | Romania | 99.2% |
| 32 | Argentina | 99.1% |
| 33 | Niue | 99.1% |
| 34 | Antigua and Barbuda | 99.0% |
| 35 | Uruguay | 98.9% |
| 36 | Cayman Islands | 98.9% |
| 37 | Hungary | 98.9% |
| 38 | United Arab Emirates | 98.8% |
| 39 | Poland | 98.7% |
| 40 | Cyprus | 98.7% |
| 41 | Mongolia | 98.6% |
| 42 | Kiribati | 98.6% |
| 43 | Montenegro | 98.5% |
| 44 | Philippines | 98.5% |
| 45 | Bulgaria | 98.4% |
| 46 | Maldives | 98.2% |
| 47 | Croatia | 98.2% |
| 48 | Samoa | 98.0% |
| 49 | South Korea | 98.0% |
| 50 | State of Palestine | 97.9% |
| 51 | Saudi Arabia | 97.9% |
| 52 | Bahrain | 97.8% |
| 53 | Grenada | 97.8% |
| 54 | Albania | 97.7% |
| 55 | Cuba | 97.7% |
| 56 | Singapore | 97.7% |
| 57 | Costa Rica | 97.4% |
| 58 | Oman | 97.3% |
| 59 | American Samoa | 97.3% |
| 60 | Türkiye | 97.3% |
| 61 | Venezuela | 97.2% |
| 62 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 97.0% |
| 63 | Trinidad and Tobago | 96.9% |
| 64 | Aruba | 96.8% |
| 65 | People's Republic of China | 96.7% |
| 66 | Bolivia | 96.7% |
| 67 | Nauru | 96.6% |
| 68 | Macao | 96.5% |
| 69 | Saint Helena | 96.5% |
| 70 | Kuwait | 96.5% |
| 71 | Chile | 96.4% |
| 72 | Panama | 96.2% |
| 73 | New Caledonia | 96.1% |
| 74 | Vietnam | 96.1% |
| 75 | The Republic of North Macedonia | 96.1% |
| 76 | Brunei Darussalam | 96.1% |
| 77 | Indonesia | 96.0% |
| 78 | Malaysia | 95.8% |
| 79 | Marshall Islands | 95.8% |
| 80 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 95.6% |
| 81 | Mexico | 95.6% |
| 82 | Anguilla | 95.4% |
| 83 | Colombia | 95.3% |
| 84 | Paraguay | 94.9% |
| 85 | Brazil | 94.7% |
| 86 | Portugal | 94.5% |
| 87 | Jordan | 94.4% |
| 88 | Syrian Arab Republic | 94.4% |
| 89 | Mauritius | 94.3% |
| 90 | Dominican Republic | 94.0% |
| 91 | Seychelles | 94.0% |
| 92 | Greece | 93.9% |
| 93 | Peru | 93.7% |
| 94 | Myanmar | 93.5% |
| 95 | Ecuador | 93.5% |
| 96 | Malta | 93.3% |
| 97 | Zimbabwe | 93.2% |
| 98 | Suriname | 92.9% |
| 99 | Martinique | 92.8% |
| 100 | Sri Lanka | 92.7% |
| 101 | Puerto Rico | 92.4% |
| 102 | Lebanon | 92.0% |
| 103 | Israel | 91.8% |
| 104 | South Africa | 91.2% |
| 105 | Thailand | 91.1% |
| 106 | Eswatini | 90.8% |
| 107 | Lesotho | 90.5% |
| 108 | Guadeloupe | 90.1% |
| 109 | El Salvador | 89.8% |
| 110 | Islamic Republic of Iran | 88.9% |
| 111 | Gabon | 88.9% |
| 112 | Cape Verde | 88.5% |
| 113 | Equatorial Guinea | 88.3% |
| 114 | Honduras | 88.3% |
| 115 | Vanuatu | 88.0% |
| 116 | Belize | 87.9% |
| 117 | Namibia | 87.6% |
| 118 | Sao Tome and Principe | 87.4% |
| 119 | Nicaragua | 87.3% |
| 120 | Papua New Guinea | 87.0% |
| 121 | Tunisia | 86.3% |
| 122 | Guyana | 85.6% |
| 123 | Iraq | 84.1% |
| 124 | French Guiana | 82.9% |
| 125 | Kenya | 82.2% |
| 126 | Guatemala | 82.1% |
| 127 | Botswana | 81.2% |
| 128 | Jamaica | 79.9% |
| 129 | Egypt | 79.5% |
| 130 | Bangladesh | 79.0% |
| 131 | Rwanda | 78.8% |
| 132 | Reunion | 78.6% |
| 133 | United Republic of Tanzania | 78.2% |
| 134 | India | 78.2% |
| 135 | Uganda | 77.0% |
| 136 | Solomon Islands | 76.6% |
| 137 | Ghana | 76.5% |
| 138 | Republic of the Congo | 76.1% |
| 139 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 75.6% |
| 140 | Comoros | 75.6% |
| 141 | Algeria | 75.1% |
| 142 | Madagascar | 74.7% |
| 143 | Togo | 72.6% |
| 144 | Cameroon | 72.6% |
| 145 | Cambodia | 71.9% |
| 146 | Zambia | 71.8% |
| 147 | Burundi | 71.3% |
| 148 | Nigeria | 70.4% |
| 149 | Malawi | 70.2% |
| 150 | Timor-Leste | 69.4% |
| 151 | Nepal | 68.7% |
| 152 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 68.5% |
| 153 | Angola | 68.2% |
| 154 | Haiti | 68.0% |
| 155 | Bhutan | 64.9% |
| 156 | Eritrea | 64.7% |
| 157 | Morocco | 64.3% |
| 158 | Guinea-Bissau | 63.9% |
| 159 | Mozambique | 61.7% |
| 160 | Ethiopia | 60.5% |
| 161 | Libya | 60.2% |
| 162 | Mauritania | 59.5% |
| 163 | Liberia | 59.4% |
| 164 | Pakistan | 58.9% |
| 165 | Somalia | 54.1% |
| 166 | Sudan | 53.5% |
| 167 | Republic of The Gambia | 51.6% |
| 168 | Benin | 51.4% |
| 169 | Senegal | 50.4% |
| 170 | Cote d'Ivoire | 50.0% |
| 171 | Sierra Leone | 43.6% |
| 172 | Central African Republic | 42.4% |
| 173 | Burkina Faso | 41.6% |
| 174 | Guinea | 39.6% |
| 175 | Afghanistan | 37.3% |
| 176 | Yemen | 37.1% |
| 177 | Mali | 35.6% |
| 178 | Niger | 35.6% |
| 179 | Chad | 30.6% |
| 180 | South Sudan | 26.8% |
Showing 180 of 180 countries
Topics
Data Source
This data comes from Our World in Data (2024).
View Original Source