Literacy rate in Poland
Poland: Literacy rate was 98.7% in 1978. ◆ Volatile
Latest (1978)
98.7%
World rank
16th
of 128 countries
All-time high
98.7%
in 1978
All-time low
0.0%
in 1475
Years of data
6
1475–1978
Literacy rate in Poland, 1475–1978
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Poland recorded 98.7% for literacy rate in 1978. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Poland peaked at 98.7% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1475.
Poland ranks 16th of 128 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1470s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1550s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1650s | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 1 |
| 1750s | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 1 |
| 1950s | 92.5% | 92.5% | 92.5% | 1 |
| 1970s | 98.7% | 98.7% | 98.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Poland
- 13 Uruguay 98.9% compare
- 14 Hungary 98.9% compare
- 15 United Arab Emirates 98.8% compare
- 17 Mongolia 98.6% compare
- 18 Montenegro 98.5% compare
- 19 Finland 98.5% compare
- 19 Germany 98.5% compare
- 19 Ireland 98.5% compare
- 19 Netherlands 98.5% compare
- 19 Sweden 98.5% compare
- 19 United Kingdom 98.5% compare
More education data for Poland
- Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 14.5% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 105.4% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 135,357 (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.3 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 105.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Poland?
- Literacy rate in Poland was 98.7% in 1978, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 98.7% in 1978.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1475.
- How does Poland rank for literacy rate?
- Poland ranks 16th out of 128 countries with data for 1978.
- Where does this Poland 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 — 6 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.