Literacy rate in Colombia

Colombia: Literacy rate was 95.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
95.3%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
53rd
of 128 countries
All-time high
95.7%
in 2021
All-time low
42.4%
in 1918
Years of data
25
1918–2024

Literacy rate in Colombia, 1918–2024

0204060801001918197120241918: 42.4 %1928: 51.6 %1938: 55.8 %1950: 52.5 %1993: 91.1 %1996: 91.2 %2004: 92.8 %2005: 92.8 %2006: 92.3 %2007: 92.7 %2008: 93.4 %2009: 93.2 %2010: 93.4 %2011: 93.6 %2014: 94.2 %2015: 94.2 %2016: 94.7 %2017: 94.9 %2018: 95.1 %2019: 95.2 %2020: 95.6 %2021: 95.7 %2022: 95.3 %2023: 95.5 %2024: 95.3 %

Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for literacy rate in Colombia is 95.3%, measured in 2024.

The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate in Colombia peaked at 95.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 42.4%, in 1918.

That places Colombia 53rd out of 128 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Literacy rate in Colombia, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate in Colombia, 1918 to 2024.
Year % Change
1918 42.4% —
1928 51.6% +21.7%
1938 55.8% +8.1%
1950 52.5% -5.9%
1993 91.1% +73.4%
1996 91.2% +0.2%
2004 92.8% +1.7%
2005 92.8% +0.1%
2006 92.3% -0.6%
2007 92.7% +0.4%
2008 93.4% +0.8%
2009 93.2% -0.1%
2010 93.4% +0.1%
2011 93.6% +0.2%
2014 94.2% +0.7%
2015 94.2% +0.1%
2016 94.7% +0.4%
2017 94.9% +0.3%
2018 95.1% +0.2%
2019 95.2% +0.2%
2020 95.6% +0.4%
2021 95.7% +0.0%
2022 95.3% -0.4%
2023 95.5% +0.2%
2024 95.3% -0.1%

Colombia compared with similar countries

  • Colombia's 95.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.4%, 100% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
  • Colombia's 95.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 94.4%, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Literacy rate in Colombia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1993 +73.4% 52.5% 91.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1910s 42.4% 42.4% 42.4% 1
1920s 51.6% 51.6% 51.6% 1
1930s 55.8% 55.8% 55.8% 1
1950s 52.5% 52.5% 52.5% 1
1990s 91.1% 91.1% 91.2% 2
2000s 92.9% 92.3% 93.4% 6
2010s 94.4% 93.4% 95.2% 8
2020s 95.5% 95.3% 95.7% 5

Countries ranked near Colombia

  1. 50 Indonesia 96.0% compare
  2. 51 Malaysia 95.8% compare
  3. 52 Mexico 95.5% compare
  4. 54 Paraguay 94.9% compare
  5. 55 Brazil 94.7% compare
  6. 56 Portugal 94.5% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More education data for Colombia

All data for Colombia →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate in Colombia?
Literacy rate in Colombia was 95.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Colombia?
The highest recorded value was 95.7% in 2021.
What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Colombia?
The lowest recorded value was 42.4% in 1918.
How does Colombia rank for literacy rate?
Colombia ranks 53rd out of 128 countries with data for 2024.
Is literacy rate rising or falling in Colombia?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Colombia 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.

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Literacy rate in Colombia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/cross-country-literacy-rates/colombia/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate
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, 1,272 data points, 1475–2024
Last refreshed

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