Literacy rate, adult male in Uruguay

Uruguay: Literacy rate, adult male was 98.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
98.6%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
16th
of 88 countries
All-time high
98.9%
in 2023
All-time low
93.4%
in 1975
Years of data
21
1975–2024

Literacy rate, adult male in Uruguay, 1975–2024

0204060801001975199920241975: 93.4 % of males ages 15 and above1985: 94.8 % of males ages 15 and above1996: 96.2 % of males ages 15 and above2006: 97.4 % of males ages 15 and above2007: 97.4 % of males ages 15 and above2008: 97.8 % of males ages 15 and above2009: 98 % of males ages 15 and above2010: 97.6 % of males ages 15 and above2011: 98 % of males ages 15 and above2012: 98.1 % of males ages 15 and above2013: 98.1 % of males ages 15 and above2014: 98 % of males ages 15 and above2015: 98.2 % of males ages 15 and above2016: 98.2 % of males ages 15 and above2017: 98.2 % of males ages 15 and above2018: 98.4 % of males ages 15 and above2019: 98.5 % of males ages 15 and above2020: 98.7 % of males ages 15 and above2022: 98.6 % of males ages 15 and above2023: 98.9 % of males ages 15 and above2024: 98.6 % of males ages 15 and above

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15 and above.

Analysis

In 2024, literacy rate, adult male in Uruguay stood at 98.6%.

That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in Uruguay peaked at 98.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 93.4%, in 1975.

Uruguay ranks 16th of 88 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

Literacy rate, adult male in Uruguay, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) in Uruguay, 1975 to 2024.
Year % of males ages 15 and above Change
1975 93.4%
1985 94.8% +1.5%
1996 96.2% +1.5%
2006 97.4% +1.2%
2007 97.4% -0.0%
2008 97.8% +0.4%
2009 98.0% +0.1%
2010 97.6% -0.4%
2011 98.0% +0.4%
2012 98.1% +0.1%
2013 98.1% -0.0%
2014 98.0% -0.0%
2015 98.2% +0.1%
2016 98.2% +0.1%
2017 98.2% -0.0%
2018 98.4% +0.1%
2019 98.5% +0.1%
2020 98.7% +0.2%
2022 98.6% -0.1%
2023 98.9% +0.3%
2024 98.6% -0.2%

Uruguay compared with similar countries

  • Uruguay's 98.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 98.6%, 1.0× the median. (12 countries reporting)
  • Uruguay's 98.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 95.4%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 93.4% 93.4% 93.4% 1
1980s 94.8% 94.8% 94.8% 1
1990s 96.2% 96.2% 96.2% 1
2000s 97.7% 97.4% 98.0% 4
2010s 98.1% 97.6% 98.5% 10
2020s 98.7% 98.6% 98.9% 4

Countries ranked near Uruguay

  1. 13 Singapore 98.9% compare
  2. 14 Bolivia 98.8% compare
  3. 15 Bahrain 98.7% compare
  4. 17 Oman 98.6% compare
  5. 18 Saudi Arabia 98.6% compare
  6. 19 Philippines 98.4% compare

See the full ranking of 127 places →

More education data for Uruguay

All data for Uruguay →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, adult male in Uruguay?
Literacy rate, adult male in Uruguay was 98.6% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Uruguay?
The highest recorded value was 98.9% in 2023.
What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Uruguay?
The lowest recorded value was 93.4% in 1975.
How does Uruguay rank for literacy rate, adult male?
Uruguay ranks 16th out of 88 countries with data for 2024.
Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in Uruguay?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Uruguay 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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Literacy rate, adult male in Uruguay. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-adult-male-percent-of-males-ages-15-and-above/uruguay/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above)
Unit
% of males ages 15 and above
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
127 places, 2,578 data points, 1974–2024
Last refreshed

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.