Literacy rate, adult total in North America
North America: Literacy rate, adult total was 98.8% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Literacy rate, adult total in North America, 2003–2022
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 North America is 98.8%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in North America peaked at 98.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 98.6%, in 2003.
That places North America 4th out of 39 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
Literacy rate, adult total in North America, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 98.6% | — |
| 2004 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 98.7% | 98.6% | 98.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 98.8% | 98.8% | 98.8% | 3 |
| 2020s | 98.8% | 98.8% | 98.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near North America
- 1 Uzbekistan 100.0% compare
- 2 Armenia 99.8% compare
- 3 Azerbaijan 99.8% compare
- 4 Tajikistan 99.7% compare
- 5 Spain 99.7% compare
- 6 Georgia 99.7% compare
- 7 Tonga 99.5% compare
More education data for North America
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 28.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 26.20 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 16.9% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.2703 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.04 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0687 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in North America?
- Literacy rate, adult total in North America was 98.8% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 98.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 98.6% in 2003.
- How does North America rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- North America ranks 4th out of 39 groups with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this North America 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.