Poland vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling

Poland
98.7%
in 1978
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
98.5%
in 1950
Poland rank
15th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
18th

Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling over time

  • Poland
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
020406080100147517261978

How they compare

Poland currently reports 98.7% against 98.5% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 0.2%.

Across all 5 years both countries report, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been ahead every year.

Poland ranks 15th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 18th of 128 countries.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Poland United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
1470s 0.0% 5.0% 5.0% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1550s 0.0% 16.0% 16.0% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1650s 3.0% 53.0% 50.0% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1750s 5.0% 54.0% 49.0% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1950s 92.5% 98.5% 6.0% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher literacy rate vs. average years of schooling, Poland or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Poland, at 98.7% against 98.5% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as of 1978.
What is the difference in literacy rate vs. average years of schooling between Poland and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
0.2%, with Poland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Poland and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
5 years are reported by both, from 1475 to 1950.
How do Poland and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for literacy rate vs. average years of schooling?
Poland ranks 15th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 18th of 128 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Poland vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/literacy-rates-vs-average-years-of-schooling/poland/united-kingdom/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/literacy-rates-vs-average-years-of-schooling/poland/united-kingdom/">Poland vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,242 data points, 1475–2023
Last refreshed

Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.