Literacy rate, adult total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Literacy rate, adult total was 94.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1974–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) is 94.9%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 94.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 77.6%, in 1974.
That places Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 12th 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 total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 77.6% | — |
| 1975 | 77.6% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 78.0% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 78.5% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 79.0% | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 79.4% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 79.8% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 80.2% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 80.6% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 81.0% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 81.3% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 81.7% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 82.0% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 82.3% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 82.8% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 83.2% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 83.6% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 84.3% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 85.0% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 85.6% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 86.3% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 86.9% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 87.3% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 87.6% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 88.0% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 88.3% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 88.7% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 88.8% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 89.1% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 89.9% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 90.2% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 90.1% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 90.3% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 91.2% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 91.5% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 91.7% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 91.6% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 92.4% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 92.7% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 92.7% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 93.2% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 93.3% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 93.8% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 93.8% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 94.0% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 94.2% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 94.2% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 94.4% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 94.6% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 94.8% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 94.9% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 78.3% | 77.6% | 79.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 81.5% | 79.8% | 83.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 86.3% | 83.6% | 88.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 90.2% | 88.7% | 91.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.2% | 91.6% | 94.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.6% | 94.2% | 94.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 9 Uruguay 98.9% compare
- 10 United Arab Emirates 98.8% compare
- 11 Mongolia 98.6% compare
- 12 Montenegro 98.5% compare
- 13 Philippines 98.5% compare
- 14 Maldives 98.2% compare
- 15 Samoa 98.0% compare
More education data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.22 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 62.34 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 60.53 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1513 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0936 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 22.3% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 94.9% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 94.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.6% in 1974.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 12th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult total (% of people 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.