Literacy rates of older vs. younger population in Colombia
Colombia: Literacy rates of older vs. younger population was 85.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates of older vs. younger population in Colombia, 1993–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Colombia recorded 85.0% for literacy rates of older vs. younger population in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates of older vs. younger population in Colombia peaked at 85.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 72.3%, in 1996.
That places Colombia 25th out of 85 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Literacy rates of older vs. younger population in Colombia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 72.8% | — |
| 1996 | 72.3% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 74.0% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 75.3% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 75.0% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 76.0% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 74.9% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 75.7% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 76.8% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 76.1% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 76.3% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 78.1% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 77.3% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 78.4% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 79.9% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 80.3% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 81.4% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 81.4% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 83.3% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 83.8% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 84.8% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 83.9% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 84.8% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 85.3% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 85.0% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 72.6% | 72.3% | 72.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 75.5% | 74.0% | 76.8% | 8 |
| 2010s | 80.0% | 76.3% | 83.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.8% | 83.9% | 85.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More education data for Colombia
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 0.7336 % change on previous year (2022)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 139,228 (2022)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 41,553 (2022)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.32 million (2022)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 0.8138 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 1.15 million (2022)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 0.6407 % change on previous year (2022)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates of older vs. younger population in Colombia?
- Literacy rates of older vs. younger population in Colombia was 85.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates of older vs. younger population recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 85.3% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rates of older vs. younger population recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 72.3% in 1996.
- How does Colombia rank for literacy rates of older vs. younger population?
- Colombia ranks 25th out of 85 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rates of older vs. younger population rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Colombia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates of older vs. younger population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 65 years and older who can read and write.