Indicators on literacy
Source: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Estimated adult Illiteracy rate among persons
(15+) illiteracy aged 25+ (%)
rate (%), 1995
Male Female Year Male Female
Afghanistan 52.8 85.0 1979 77.3 97.6
Algeria 26.1 51.0 1987 50.2 79.5
American Samoa ... ... 1990 0.4 0.5
Argentina 3.8 3.8 1991 4.4 4.9
Armenia 0.3 0.5 1989 0.8 2.4
Azerbaijan 0.3 0.5 1989 1.5 5.7
Bahamas 1.5 2.0 ... ... ...
Bahrain 10.9 20.6 1991 13.0 29.8
Bangladesh 50.6 73.9 1981 62.5 86.6
Barbados 2.0 3.2 ... ... ...
Belarus 0.3 0.6 1989 0.7 4.0
Belize ... ... 1991 32.2 a 32.6 a
Benin 51.3 74.2 1992 71.4 b 90.2 b
Bhutan 43.8 71.9 ... ... ...
Bolivia 9.5 24.0 1992 15.8 36.6
Botswana 19.5 40.1 1991 58.8 59.8
Brazil 16.7 16.8 1991 22.2 24.7
Brunei Darussalam 7.4 16.6 1991 9.6 24.0
Bulgaria ... ... 1992 1.4 3.3
Burkina Faso 70.5 90.8 1975 89.0 98.2
Burundi 50.7 77.5 1990 57.0 82.0
Cameroon 25.0 47.9 1987 43.0 68.0
Cape Verde 18.6 36.2 1990 34.9 62.5
Central African Rep. 31.5 47.6 1988 60.0 87.0
Chad 37.9 65.3 ... ... ...
Chile 4.6 5.0 1992 6.7 7.6
China 10.1 27.3 1990 17.2 42.0
Colombia 8.8 8.6 1985 16.0 19.0
Comoros 35.8 49.6 1980 50.0 66.8
Congo 16.9 32.8 1984 41.4 69.9
Cook Islands ... ... 1986 4.7 c 5.7 c
Costa Rica 5.3 5.0 1984 9.6 10.1
Côte d'Ivoire 50.1 70.0 1988 63.4 85.3
Croatia ... ... 1991 1.5 6.1
Cuba 3.8 4.7 1979 5.8 d 7.2 d
Cyprus ... ... 1992 3.1 12.5
Dem. Rep. of the Congo 13.4 32.3 ... ... ...
Djibouti 39.7 67.3 1991 63.0 87.0
Dominican Republic 18.0 17.8 1981 29.1 31.0
Ecuador 8.0 11.8 1990 12.0 19.0
Egypt 36.4 61.2 1986 50.2 78.1
El Salvador 26.5 30.2 1975 44.5 b 56.1 b
Equatorial Guinea 10.4 31.9 1983 28.7 64.5
Estonia 0.2 0.2 1989 0.1 0.5
Ethiopia 54.5 74.7 1984 73.6 89.2
Fiji 6.2 10.7 1986 13.5 22.6
French Guiana ... ... 1982 20.4 20.5
Gabon 26.3 46.7 ... ... ...
Gambia 47.2 75.1 ... ... ...
Georgia 0.3 0.6 1989 0.6 1.8
Ghana 24.1 46.5 ... ... ...
Greece 1.7 4.7 1991 2.6 8.2
Guadeloupe ... ... 1982 14.8 13.3
Guam ... ... 1990 0.9 0.9
Guatemala 37.5 51.4 ... ... ...
Guinea 50.1 78.1 ... ... ...
Guinea-Bissau 32.0 57.5 1979 77.8 95.7
Guyana 1.4 2.5 ... ... ...
Haiti 52.0 57.8 1982 69.4 76.0
Honduras 27.4 27.3 1988 40.0 43.0
Hong Kong e 4.0 11.8 ... ... ...
Hungary 0.7 1.0 1980 0.7 1.7
India 34.5 62.3 1981 50.2 80.6
Indonesia 10.4 22.0 1990 15.8 33.5
Iran (Islamic Rep. of) 22.3 40.7 1991 35.3 57.0
Iraq 29.3 55.0 1987 31.4 53.3
Israel ... ... 1992 3.7 9.3
Italy 1.4 2.4 1981 3.4 5.5
Jamaica 19.2 10.9 1987 26.4 17.3
Jordan 6.6 20.6 1991 14.7 40.6
Kazakhstan 0.3 0.5 1989 1.2 4.9
Kenya 13.7 30.0 1989 26.0 54.2
Kiribati ... ... 1978 5.0 f 8.0 f
Korea, Republic of 0.7 3.3 ... ... ...
Kuwait 17.8 25.1 1985 25.5 38.9
Kyrgyzstan 0.3 0.5 1989 1.9 6.1
Lao People's Dem. Rep. 30.6 55.6 ... ... ...
Latvia 0.2 0.3 1989 0.2 0.9
Lebanon 5.3 9.7 ... ... ...
Lesotho 18.9 37.7 ... ... ...
Liberia 46.1 77.6 1984 64.3 89.2
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 12.1 37.0 1984 37.3 83.2
Lithuania 0.4 0.7 1989 0.9 2.7
Macau ... ... 1981 8.2 20.3
Malawi 28.1 58.2 1987 37.2 74.6
Malaysia 10.9 21.9 1980 30.2 b 62.2 b
Maldives 6.7 7.0 1985 10.1 11.3
Mali 60.6 76.9 1987 76.0 91.0
Malta ... ... 1985 16.3 15.4
Marshall Islands ... ... 1988 9.0 c 13.5 c
Martinique ... ... 1982 11.6 9.0
Mauritania 50.4 73.7 1988 61.0 80.0
Mauritius 12.9 21.2 1990 16.9 31.3
Mexico 8.2 12.6 1990 12.7 20.4
Micronesia, Fed. States of ... ... 1985-89 23.3 f g 30.8 f g
Mongolia 11.4 22.8 ... ... ...
Morocco 43.4 69.0 1982 64.2 89.9
Mozambique 42.3 76.7 1980 65.8 93.8
Myanmar 11.3 22.3 1983 15.6 33.3
Namibia ... ... 1991 26.8 35.0
Nepal 59.1 86.0 1981 74.0 93.4
Netherlands Antilles ... ... 1981 7.2 8.5
New Caledonia ... ... 1989 8.1 10.8
Nicaragua 35.4 33.4 ... ... ...
Niger 79.1 93.4 1988 87.0 97.0
Nigeria 32.7 52.7 ... ... ...
Northern Mariana Islands ... ... 1990 0.8 1.6
Pakistan 50.0 75.6 1981 68.3 89.2
Palau ... ... 1990 2.1 4.3
Panama 8.6 9.8 1990 13.0 15.0
Papua New Guinea 19.0 37.3 1980 84.0 c 92.0 c
Paraguay 6.5 9.4 1992 9.7 14.4
Peru 5.5 17.0 1993 10.4 b 27.5 b
Philippines 5.0 5.7 1990 7.2 8.7
Poland 0.3 0.3 1978 0.9 2.2
Portugal 7.5 13.0 1981 19.1 31.7
Puerto Rico ... ... 1980 11.8 13.8
Qatar 20.8 20.1 1986 25.7 35.2
Republic of Moldova ... ... 1989 1.7 6.8
Reunion ... ... 1982 33.2 28.2
Romania 1.1 3.1 1992 1.7 6.1
Russian Federation 0.3 0.6 1989 0.6 3.8
Rwanda 30.2 48.4 1978 55.6 c 84.6 c
Samoa ... ... 1986 2.8 2.3
Sao Tome and Principe ... ... 1981 36.9 74.4
Saudi Arabia 28.5 49.8 ... ... ...
Senegal 57.0 76.8 1988 68.0 90.0
Seychelles ... ... 1987 23.0 21.0
Sierra Leone 54.6 81.8 ... ... ...
Singapore 4.1 13.7 1990 6.0 21.4
Slovenia ... ... 1991 0.4 0.6
South Africa 18.1 18.3 1980 26.4 30.1
Spain 1.8 3.9 1991 3.1 7.2
Sri Lanka 6.6 12.8 1981 9.4 22.9
St. Kitts and Nevis ... ... 1980 3.8 3.2
Sudan 42.3 65.4 1993 42.6 74.1
Suriname 4.9 9.0 ... ... ...
Swaziland 22.0 24.4 1986 36.7 46.3
Syrian Arab Republic 14.3 44.2 1981 35.9 76.3
Tajikistan 0.3 0.4 1989 1.7 4.9
Thailand 4.0 8.4 1990 5.6 11.5
Togo 33.0 63.0 1981 67.9 b 90.4 b
Tonga ... ... 1976 0.4 0.7
Trinidad and Tobago 1.2 3.0 1990 2.4 5.8
Tunisia 21.4 45.4 1989 42.2 67.7
Turkey 8.3 27.6 1990 13.1 40.3
Turkmenistan 0.2 0.4 1989 1.7 4.8
Uganda 26.3 49.8 1991 37.2 66.7
Ukraine ... ... 1989 0.5 3.0
United Arab Emirates 21.1 20.2 1985 29.5 38.3
United Rep. Tanzania 20.6 43.2 1978 46.2 80.0
United States ... ... 1981 3.4 3.1
Uruguay 3.1 2.3 1985 6.6 5.3
Uzbekistan 0.2 0.4 1989 2.2 5.8
Vanuatu ... ... 1979 52.9 c 64.4 c
Venezuela 8.2 9.7 1990 10.9 14.1
Viet Nam 3.5 8.8 1989 8.3 22.5
Yemen ... ... 1986 49.1 h 96.6 h
Yugoslavia ... ... 1991 2.7 12.6
Zambia 14.4 28.7 1980 44.3 74.3
Zimbabwe 9.6 20.1 1992 16.7 32.8
Sources:
For estimates of adult illiteracy, United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization, World Education Report 1995
(Oxford, UNESCO Publishing, 1995); for illiteracy rate among persons
aged 25+, Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat,
The World's Women 1995: Trends and Statistics
(United Nations publication, Sales No. E.95.XVII.2) and UNESCO,
Compendium of Statistics on Illiteracy, 1995 edition, Statistical
reports and studies, no. 35 (Paris,1995) and Statistical Yearbook
(various years up to 1996).
... Not available.
a Age 20+.
b Age 30+.
c Those who completed less than four years of schooling.
d Ages 25-49.
e Pursuant to a Joint Declaration signed on 19 December 1984, the United
Kingdom restored Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China with
effect from 1 July 1997; the People's Republic of China resumed
the exercise of sovereignty over the territory with effect from
that date.
f Those with no schooling.
g Excluding Pohnpei State.
h Data refer to the former Yemen Arab Republic only.
Technical notes:
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization recommends defining an illiterate person
as someone who can not, with understanding, both read and write
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.
Literacy is a good measure of educational
achievement in developing regions. For young people in developing
regions, literacy may be a better measure of education than
enrolment since it usually reflects a minimal level of
successfully completed schooling.
The rates of illiteracy among persons aged 25+ shown
here are taken from The World's Women 1995: Trends and Statistics
(United Nations publication, Sales No. E.95.XVII.2), with updates
(see Sources at end of table). These were prepared from data published
by UNESCO, supplemented by published and unpublished data compiled from
national sources. The latest estimates of adult (aged 15+) illiteracy
prepared by UNESCO are also shown.
For many countries or areas, illiteracy rates are not
available from UNESCO 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.
Copyright © 1997, United Nations. All rights reserved
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