Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Cuba
Cuba: Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling was 97.7% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Cuba, 1899–2019
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cuba recorded 97.7% for literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Cuba peaked at 99.8% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 43.1%, in 1899.
Cuba ranks 32nd of 128 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Cuba, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1899 | 43.1% | — |
| 1907 | 56.4% | +30.9% |
| 1919 | 61.3% | +8.7% |
| 1931 | 71.8% | +17.1% |
| 1943 | 76.4% | +6.4% |
| 1950 | 77.5% | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 97.8% | +26.3% |
| 2002 | 99.8% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 99.7% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 97.7% | -2.0% |
Cuba compared with similar countries
- Cuba's 97.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.8%, 1.0× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Cuba's 97.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 94.6%, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 43.1% | 43.1% | 43.1% | 1 |
| 1900s | 56.4% | 56.4% | 56.4% | 1 |
| 1910s | 61.3% | 61.3% | 61.3% | 1 |
| 1930s | 71.8% | 71.8% | 71.8% | 1 |
| 1940s | 76.4% | 76.4% | 76.4% | 1 |
| 1950s | 77.5% | 77.5% | 77.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 97.8% | 97.8% | 97.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 99.8% | 99.8% | 99.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 98.7% | 97.7% | 99.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Cuba
More education data for Cuba
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 78,576 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 4,635 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 171,121 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 162,406 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 662,491 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 698,052 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -3.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2020)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0636 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Cuba?
- Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Cuba was 97.7% in 2019, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Cuba?
- The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 2002.
- What is the lowest literacy rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Cuba?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.1% in 1899.
- How does Cuba rank for literacy rate vs. average years of schooling?
- Cuba ranks 32nd out of 128 countries with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in Cuba?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cuba data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.