Literacy rate in France
France: Literacy rate was 96.5% in 1950. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate in France, 1475–1950
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
France recorded 96.5% for literacy rate in 1950.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in France peaked at 96.6% in 1946 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 1475.
That places France 42nd out of 128 countries with data for 1950, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Literacy rate in France, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1475 | 6.0% | — |
| 1550 | 19.0% | +216.7% |
| 1650 | 29.0% | +52.6% |
| 1750 | 29.0% | +0.0% |
| 1901 | 83.5% | +187.9% |
| 1906 | 85.9% | +2.9% |
| 1911 | 88.1% | +2.6% |
| 1921 | 91.8% | +4.2% |
| 1926 | 93.9% | +2.3% |
| 1931 | 94.7% | +0.9% |
| 1936 | 96.0% | +1.4% |
| 1946 | 96.6% | +0.6% |
| 1950 | 96.5% | -0.1% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 96.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 97.8%, 99% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- France's 96.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.5%, 98% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate in France 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1550 | +216.7% | 6.0% | 19.0% |
| 1901 | +187.9% | 29.0% | 83.5% |
| 1650 | +52.6% | 19.0% | 29.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1470s | 6.0% | 6.0% | 6.0% | 1 |
| 1550s | 19.0% | 19.0% | 19.0% | 1 |
| 1650s | 29.0% | 29.0% | 29.0% | 1 |
| 1750s | 29.0% | 29.0% | 29.0% | 1 |
| 1900s | 84.7% | 83.5% | 85.9% | 2 |
| 1910s | 88.1% | 88.1% | 88.1% | 1 |
| 1920s | 92.8% | 91.8% | 93.9% | 2 |
| 1930s | 95.3% | 94.7% | 96.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 96.6% | 96.6% | 96.6% | 1 |
| 1950s | 96.5% | 96.5% | 96.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
More education data for France
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0602 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in France?
- Literacy rate in France was 96.5% in 1950, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 96.6% in 1946.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 1475.
- How does France rank for literacy rate?
- France ranks 42nd out of 128 countries with data for 1950.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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 — 13 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.