Literacy rate in Chile
Chile: Literacy rate was 96.4% in 2017. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate in Chile, 1907–2017
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Chile recorded 96.4% for literacy rate in 2017.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Chile peaked at 96.9% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 50.1%, in 1907.
Chile ranks 46th of 128 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Literacy rate in Chile, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1907 | 50.1% | — |
| 1920 | 63.1% | +25.9% |
| 1930 | 75.6% | +19.8% |
| 1940 | 73.6% | -2.6% |
| 1950 | 77.5% | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 91.1% | +17.6% |
| 1992 | 94.3% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 95.7% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 96.7% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 96.3% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 96.9% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 96.4% | -0.5% |
Chile compared with similar countries
- Chile's 96.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 97.8%, 99% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Chile's 96.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 94.4%, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 50.1% | 50.1% | 50.1% | 1 |
| 1920s | 63.1% | 63.1% | 63.1% | 1 |
| 1930s | 75.6% | 75.6% | 75.6% | 1 |
| 1940s | 73.6% | 73.6% | 73.6% | 1 |
| 1950s | 77.5% | 77.5% | 77.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 91.1% | 91.1% | 91.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 94.3% | 94.3% | 94.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 95.7% | 95.7% | 95.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 96.6% | 96.3% | 96.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Chile
More education data for Chile
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 96,048 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 21,633 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 280,113 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 264,101 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.63 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.49 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0754 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Chile?
- Literacy rate in Chile was 96.4% in 2017, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Chile?
- The highest recorded value was 96.9% in 2015.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Chile?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.1% in 1907.
- How does Chile rank for literacy rate?
- Chile ranks 46th out of 128 countries with data for 2017.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Chile?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Chile 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 — 12 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.