Literacy rate, adult male in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Literacy rate, adult male was 95.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult male in Latin America & Caribbean, 1974–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult male in Latin America & Caribbean is 95.2%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 95.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 81.1%, in 1974.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 11th out of 39 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult male in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 81.1% | — |
| 1975 | 81.1% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 81.4% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 81.7% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 82.0% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 82.3% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 82.6% | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 82.8% | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 83.1% | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 83.3% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 83.6% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 83.8% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 84.0% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 84.3% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 84.6% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 84.9% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 85.1% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 85.8% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 86.4% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 87.0% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 87.7% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 88.3% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 88.6% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 88.9% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 89.2% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 89.5% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 89.7% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 90.0% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 90.2% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 90.8% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 91.1% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 91.4% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 91.6% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 92.1% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 92.4% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 92.5% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 92.4% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 93.1% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 93.3% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 93.3% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 93.7% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 93.9% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 94.3% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 94.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 94.5% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 94.6% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 94.7% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 94.8% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 95.0% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 95.1% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 95.2% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 81.6% | 81.1% | 82.3% | 6 |
| 1980s | 83.7% | 82.6% | 84.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 87.6% | 85.1% | 89.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 91.2% | 89.7% | 92.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.7% | 92.4% | 94.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.0% | 94.7% | 95.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More education data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.34 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 63.30 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 61.44 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1923 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0928 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 22.1% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult male in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Literacy rate, adult male in Latin America & Caribbean was 95.2% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 95.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 81.1% in 1974.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for literacy rate, adult male?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 11th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.