Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Uruguay
Uruguay: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes was 99.0% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
99.0%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
10th
of 57 countries
All-time high
99.0%
in 2024
All-time low
96.0%
in 1985
Years of data
18
1985–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Uruguay, 1985–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Uruguay stood at 99.0%. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Uruguay peaked at 99.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 96.0%, in 1985.
Uruguay ranks 10th of 57 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 96.0% | — |
| 1996 | 97.1% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 97.9% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 98.0% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 98.2% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 98.2% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 98.1% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 98.5% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 98.5% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 98.4% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 99.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (9 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 99.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 96.5%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 96.0% | 96.0% | 96.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 97.1% | 97.1% | 97.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.1% | 97.9% | 98.2% | 4 |
| 2010s | 98.5% | 98.1% | 98.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.9% | 98.9% | 99.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
- 7 Philippines 99.2% compare
- 8 Argentina 99.1% compare
- 9 Mongolia 99.0% compare
- 11 United Arab Emirates 98.8% compare
- 12 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 98.8% compare
- 13 Qatar 98.8% compare
More education data for Uruguay
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25,390 (2010)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2,520 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 57,513 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 54,922 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 337,808 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 287,527 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.35 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0849 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Uruguay?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Uruguay was 99.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 99.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 96.0% in 1985.
- How does Uruguay rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes?
- Uruguay ranks 10th out of 57 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Uruguay data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release