Literacy rate in Benin
Benin: Literacy rate was 51.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate in Benin, 1979–2022
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Benin recorded 51.4% for literacy rate in 2022. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.2% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Benin peaked at 51.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 16.5%, in 1979.
That places Benin 118th out of 128 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.5% | 16.5% | 16.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 27.2% | 27.2% | 27.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 34.7% | 34.7% | 34.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 44.4% | 38.9% | 49.0% | 4 |
| 2020s | 47.6% | 43.8% | 51.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More education data for Benin
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 41.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 55.6% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 108.0% (2022)
- Primary education, teachers 59,742 (2022)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.48 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 103.9% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Benin?
- Literacy rate in Benin was 51.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 51.4% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.5% in 1979.
- How does Benin rank for literacy rate?
- Benin ranks 118th out of 128 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.