Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand

SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 98.5% in 2022. ▬ Flat

Latest (2022)
98.5%
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
28th
of 203 groups
All-time high
98.5%
in 2021
All-time low
97.7%
in 2003
Years of data
9
2003–2022

Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand, 2003–2022

0204060801002003201220222003: 97.7 %2004: 97.7 %2005: 97.8 %2006: 97.8 %2018: 98.3 %2019: 98.4 %2020: 98.4 %2021: 98.5 %2022: 98.5 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2022, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand stood at 98.5%. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.2% over five years.

Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand peaked at 98.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 97.7%, in 2003.

SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand ranks 28th of 203 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes (%) in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand, 2003 to 2022.
Year % Change
2003 97.7%
2004 97.7% +0.1%
2005 97.8% +0.1%
2006 97.8% +0.1%
2018 98.3% +0.5%
2019 98.4% +0.0%
2020 98.4% +0.0%
2021 98.5% +0.1%
2022 98.5% +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 97.8% 97.7% 97.8% 4
2010s 98.4% 98.3% 98.4% 2
2020s 98.5% 98.4% 98.5% 3

Countries ranked near SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand

  1. 25 China 96.7% compare
  2. 26 Bolivia 96.7% compare
  3. 27 Macao 96.5% compare
  4. 28 Kuwait 96.5% compare
  5. 29 Chile 96.4% compare
  6. 30 Panama 96.2% compare
  7. 31 Vietnam 96.1% compare

See the full ranking of 292 places →

More education data for SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand

All data for SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand?
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand was 98.5% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 98.5% in 2021.
What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 97.7% in 2003.
How does SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand ranks 28th out of 203 groups with data for 2022.
Where does this SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 19 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/adult-literacy-rate-population-15-years-both-sexes-percent/sdg-europe-northern-america-australia-and-new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
292 places, 9,592 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release