Literacy rates of younger vs older population by country
Countries reporting
85
Highest
100
Uzbekistan
Lowest
5.83
Sierra Leone
Median
76.11
Years covered
50
1975–2024
Data points
969
What the numbers show
Literacy rates of younger vs older population is currently reported for 85 countries. The highest value is 100 in Uzbekistan; the lowest is 5.83 in Sierra Leone.
The median across all reporting countries is 76.11, and the mean is 64.36.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 17.
Over the past decade 73 countries rose and 10 fell. The largest increase was in Chad (up 316.7%), and the largest decrease in Sierra Leone (down 57.7%).
Literacy rates of younger vs older population: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uzbekistan | 100 | 2022 | up 0.1% | rising |
| 2 | Armenia | 99.9 | 2023 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 3 | Georgia | 99.51 | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 4 | Tonga | 99.5 | 2023 | up 0.6% | falling |
| 5 | Azerbaijan | 99.23 | 2023 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 6 | Spain | 99.13 | 2021 | up 6.8% | rising |
| 7 | Mongolia | 98.96 | 2024 | up 4.6% | rising |
| 8 | Serbia | 98.7 | 2022 | up 6.3% | rising |
| 9 | Montenegro | 98.39 | 2018 | up 4.7% | rising |
| 10 | Uruguay | 98.28 | 2024 | up 1.7% | rising |
| 11 | Philippines | 95.74 | 2020 | up 4.1% | rising |
| 12 | Qatar | 94.76 | 2024 | up 20.1% | rising |
| 13 | Albania | 94.6 | 2023 | up 8.8% | rising |
| 14 | Maldives | 93.62 | 2019 | up 1.7% | rising |
| 15 | Chile | 91.7 | 2022 | up 3.0% | rising |
| 16 | Samoa | 90.23 | 2019 | down 6.3% | flat |
| 17 | Panama | 90.1 | 2024 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 18 | Viet Nam | 89.54 | 2022 | up 16.5% | rising |
| 19 | United Arab Emirates | 88.93 | 2024 | up 1.7% | volatile |
| 20 | Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 88.57 | 2017 | up 15.5% | rising |
| 21 | Singapore | 88.1 | 2020 | up 16.3% | rising |
| 22 | China | 87.11 | 2020 | up 17.9% | rising |
| 23 | Türkiye | 86.23 | 2021 | up 21.8% | rising |
| 24 | Mexico | 85.09 | 2024 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 25 | Colombia | 85.02 | 2024 | up 6.5% | rising |
| 26 | Bahrain | 84.79 | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 27 | Saudi Arabia | 84.6 | 2024 | up 64.6% | volatile |
| 28 | Dominican Republic | 84.05 | 2024 | up 6.7% | rising |
| 29 | Brazil | 83.2 | 2024 | up 13.1% | rising |
| 30 | Mauritius | 82.31 | 2023 | up 27.5% | rising |
| 31 | Palestine, State of | 81.74 | 2024 | up 43.3% | rising |
| 32 | Malaysia | 81.69 | 2022 | up 39.7% | rising |
| 33 | Sri Lanka | 81.41 | 2024 | up 0.3% | rising |
| 34 | Macau, China | 81.2 | 2016 | up 35.2% | rising |
| 35 | Myanmar | 80.87 | 2020 | up 4.4% | rising |
| 36 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 80.7 | 2024 | up 19.2% | rising |
| 37 | Peru | 80.32 | 2024 | up 7.8% | rising |
| 38 | Thailand | 79.07 | 2022 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 39 | Paraguay | 78.99 | 2024 | down 1.0% | rising |
| 40 | Indonesia | 77.9 | 2020 | up 24.6% | rising |
| 41 | Ecuador | 77.87 | 2024 | up 1.1% | rising |
| 42 | Lesotho | 77.73 | 2024 | down 17.1% | rising |
| 43 | Kuwait | 76.11 | 2020 | up 25.4% | rising |
| 44 | Jordan | 75.64 | 2024 | down 13.8% | rising |
| 45 | El Salvador | 70.27 | 2024 | up 12.8% | rising |
| 46 | Honduras | 68.92 | 2024 | up 16.3% | rising |
| 47 | Sao Tome and Principe | 63.16 | 2019 | up 27.4% | rising |
| 48 | South Africa | 61.87 | 2024 | down 12.7% | rising |
| 49 | Nicaragua | 60.7 | 2014 | up 23.3% | rising |
| 50 | Namibia | 59.01 | 2023 | up 4.0% | rising |
| 51 | Oman | 58.42 | 2022 | up 150.8% | rising |
| 52 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 54.32 | 2023 | up 13.5% | rising |
| 53 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 53.89 | 2022 | up 23.7% | rising |
| 54 | Guatemala | 53.14 | 2024 | up 4.8% | rising |
| 55 | Tunisia | 52.19 | 2023 | up 101.0% | rising |
| 56 | Cameroon | 50.27 | 2018 | up 156.9% | volatile |
| 57 | Zambia | 50.05 | 2024 | down 13.1% | rising |
| 58 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 49.8 | 2023 | up 45.4% | rising |
| 59 | Cape Verde | 49.25 | 2024 | up 33.8% | rising |
| 60 | Uganda | 46.6 | 2024 | up 47.1% | rising |
| 61 | Nigeria | 46.14 | 2024 | up 56.3% | rising |
| 62 | India | 46.06 | 2024 | up 19.4% | rising |
| 63 | Bangladesh | 45.54 | 2022 | up 67.5% | rising |
| 64 | Rwanda | 42.05 | 2022 | up 73.0% | volatile |
| 65 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 38.84 | 2023 | down 33.7% | rising |
| 66 | Egypt | 38.37 | 2022 | up 9.4% | rising |
| 67 | Malawi | 36.64 | 2020 | — | rising |
| 68 | Togo | 35.76 | 2022 | up 95.0% | rising |
| 69 | Burundi | 34.59 | 2020 | up 76.7% | volatile |
| 70 | Cambodia | 32.15 | 2021 | down 31.2% | rising |
| 71 | Mozambique | 30.82 | 2022 | up 45.7% | rising |
| 72 | Pakistan | 29.62 | 2021 | up 23.5% | rising |
| 73 | Senegal | 27.19 | 2023 | up 26.0% | rising |
| 74 | Benin | 25.12 | 2022 | up 77.9% | volatile |
| 75 | Morocco | 23.97 | 2014 | up 73.2% | rising |
| 76 | Guinea | 22.99 | 2018 | up 168.9% | rising |
| 77 | Côte d'Ivoire | 22.5 | 2021 | up 25.1% | rising |
| 78 | Nepal | 21.13 | 2019 | up 15.5% | rising |
| 79 | Ethiopia | 17.81 | 2022 | up 20.5% | rising |
| 80 | Niger | 17.43 | 2022 | up 26.9% | rising |
| 81 | Afghanistan | 16.53 | 2021 | up 16.6% | rising |
| 82 | Burkina Faso | 16.06 | 2023 | up 91.4% | volatile |
| 83 | Mali | 13.14 | 2024 | down 3.4% | rising |
| 84 | Chad | 10.96 | 2019 | up 316.7% | volatile |
| 85 | Sierra Leone | 5.83 | 2019 | down 57.7% | falling |