Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in France
France: Literacy rates vs average years of schooling was 96.5 in 1950. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in France, 1475–1950
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
France recorded 96.5 for literacy rates vs average years of schooling in 1950.
That represents a change of up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates vs average years of schooling in France peaked at 96.6 in 1946 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1475.
That places France 41st out of 128 countries with data for 1950, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1475 | 6 | — |
| 1550 | 19 | +216.7% |
| 1650 | 29 | +52.6% |
| 1750 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 1901 | 83.5 | +187.9% |
| 1906 | 85.9 | +2.9% |
| 1911 | 88.1 | +2.6% |
| 1921 | 91.8 | +4.2% |
| 1926 | 93.9 | +2.3% |
| 1931 | 94.7 | +0.9% |
| 1936 | 96 | +1.4% |
| 1946 | 96.6 | +0.6% |
| 1950 | 96.5 | -0.1% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 96.5 is below the median for high income countries, which is 97.65, 99% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- France's 96.5 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.5, 98% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in France changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1550 | +216.7% | 6 | 19 |
| 1901 | +187.9% | 29 | 83.5 |
| 1650 | +52.6% | 19 | 29 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1470s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 1550s | 19 | 19 | 19 | 1 |
| 1650s | 29 | 29 | 29 | 1 |
| 1750s | 29 | 29 | 29 | 1 |
| 1900s | 84.7 | 83.5 | 85.9 | 2 |
| 1910s | 88.1 | 88.1 | 88.1 | 1 |
| 1920s | 92.85 | 91.8 | 93.9 | 2 |
| 1930s | 95.35 | 94.7 | 96 | 2 |
| 1940s | 96.6 | 96.6 | 96.6 | 1 |
| 1950s | 96.5 | 96.5 | 96.5 | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
More education data for France
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.97 (2016)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.8 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates vs average years of schooling in France?
- Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in France was 96.5 in 1950, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates vs average years of schooling recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 96.6 in 1946.
- What is the lowest literacy rates vs average years of schooling recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1475.
- How does France rank for literacy rates vs average years of schooling?
- France ranks 41st out of 128 countries with data for 1950.
- Is literacy rates vs average years of schooling rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates vs average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).