Literacy by country
Countries reporting
89
Highest
100
Uzbekistan
Lowest
30.63
Chad
Median
91.15
Years covered
50
1975–2024
Data points
916
What the numbers show
Literacy is currently reported for 89 countries. The highest value is 100 in Uzbekistan; the lowest is 30.63 in Chad.
The median across all reporting countries is 91.15, and the mean is 83.21.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 3.
Over the past decade 69 countries rose and 17 fell. The largest increase was in Guinea (up 56.5%), and the largest decrease in Zambia (down 13.7%).
Literacy: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uzbekistan | 100 | 2022 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 2 | Armenia | 99.84 | 2023 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 3 | Azerbaijan | 99.78 | 2023 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 4 | Tajikistan | 99.73 | 2009 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 5 | Spain | 99.7 | 2021 | up 2.0% | rising |
| 6 | Georgia | 99.68 | 2024 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 7 | Tonga | 99.48 | 2023 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 8 | Serbia | 99.34 | 2022 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 9 | Qatar | 99.32 | 2024 | up 1.6% | rising |
| 10 | Uruguay | 98.91 | 2024 | up 0.5% | rising |
| 11 | United Arab Emirates | 98.81 | 2024 | up 1.1% | rising |
| 12 | Mongolia | 98.64 | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 13 | Montenegro | 98.53 | 2018 | up 0.1% | rising |
| 14 | Philippines | 98.47 | 2020 | up 1.4% | rising |
| 15 | Maldives | 98.21 | 2019 | down 0.2% | rising |
| 16 | Samoa | 97.99 | 2019 | down 1.0% | flat |
| 17 | Palestine | 97.94 | 2024 | up 1.8% | rising |
| 18 | Saudi Arabia | 97.93 | 2024 | up 3.7% | rising |
| 19 | Bahrain | 97.82 | 2024 | — | rising |
| 20 | Albania | 97.68 | 2023 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 21 | Singapore | 97.65 | 2021 | up 1.5% | rising |
| 22 | Oman | 97.34 | 2022 | up 12.0% | rising |
| 23 | Turkey | 97.26 | 2021 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 24 | Venezuela | 97.18 | 2017 | up 2.1% | rising |
| 25 | China | 96.74 | 2020 | up 1.7% | rising |
| 26 | Bolivia | 96.73 | 2024 | up 4.6% | rising |
| 27 | Macao | 96.54 | 2016 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 28 | Kuwait | 96.46 | 2020 | up 2.1% | rising |
| 29 | Chile | 96.4 | 2017 | down 0.3% | rising |
| 30 | Panama | 96.23 | 2024 | up 2.3% | rising |
| 31 | Vietnam | 96.13 | 2022 | up 2.8% | rising |
| 32 | Indonesia | 96 | 2020 | up 4.0% | rising |
| 33 | Malaysia | 95.77 | 2022 | up 2.8% | rising |
| 34 | Mexico | 95.55 | 2024 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 35 | Colombia | 95.34 | 2024 | up 1.2% | rising |
| 36 | Paraguay | 94.86 | 2024 | down 0.2% | rising |
| 37 | Brazil | 94.74 | 2024 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 38 | Jordan | 94.44 | 2024 | down 3.5% | rising |
| 39 | Mauritius | 94.29 | 2023 | up 3.1% | rising |
| 40 | Dominican Republic | 94.03 | 2024 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 41 | Peru | 93.66 | 2024 | down 0.1% | rising |
| 42 | Myanmar | 93.53 | 2020 | up 3.5% | rising |
| 43 | Ecuador | 93.49 | 2024 | down 0.8% | rising |
| 44 | Sri Lanka | 92.74 | 2024 | up 0.2% | rising |
| 45 | South Africa | 91.15 | 2024 | down 3.2% | rising |
| 46 | Thailand | 91.1 | 2022 | down 2.8% | flat |
| 47 | Lesotho | 90.45 | 2024 | down 7.0% | rising |
| 48 | El Salvador | 89.77 | 2024 | up 2.7% | rising |
| 49 | Iran | 88.92 | 2023 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 50 | Cape Verde | 88.47 | 2024 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 51 | Honduras | 88.25 | 2024 | up 1.2% | rising |
| 52 | Vanuatu | 87.96 | 2023 | — | rising |
| 53 | Namibia | 87.64 | 2023 | down 0.7% | rising |
| 54 | Sao Tome and Principe | 87.44 | 2019 | down 3.0% | rising |
| 55 | Tunisia | 86.25 | 2023 | up 7.5% | rising |
| 56 | Iraq | 84.06 | 2021 | up 8.9% | rising |
| 57 | Guatemala | 82.11 | 2024 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 58 | Egypt | 79.45 | 2022 | up 7.6% | rising |
| 59 | Bangladesh | 79 | 2022 | up 36.5% | rising |
| 60 | Rwanda | 78.76 | 2022 | up 15.3% | rising |
| 61 | Tanzania | 78.21 | 2022 | up 0.1% | rising |
| 62 | India | 78.16 | 2024 | up 11.9% | rising |
| 63 | Uganda | 77.04 | 2024 | up 12.5% | rising |
| 64 | Ghana | 76.49 | 2021 | up 7.0% | rising |
| 65 | Laos | 75.64 | 2023 | down 10.7% | rising |
| 66 | Togo | 72.6 | 2022 | up 20.2% | rising |
| 67 | Cameroon | 72.55 | 2018 | up 2.6% | rising |
| 68 | Cambodia | 71.93 | 2021 | down 5.5% | rising |
| 69 | Zambia | 71.77 | 2024 | down 13.7% | rising |
| 70 | Burundi | 71.34 | 2020 | up 48.4% | rising |
| 71 | Nigeria | 70.41 | 2024 | up 20.9% | rising |
| 72 | Malawi | 70.15 | 2020 | — | rising |
| 73 | East Timor | 69.4 | 2022 | up 19.0% | rising |
| 74 | Nepal | 68.71 | 2019 | up 23.7% | rising |
| 75 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 68.5 | 2023 | down 8.7% | flat |
| 76 | Morocco | 64.26 | 2014 | up 22.8% | rising |
| 77 | Mozambique | 61.67 | 2022 | up 21.9% | rising |
| 78 | Ethiopia | 60.46 | 2022 | up 25.0% | rising |
| 79 | Pakistan | 58.86 | 2021 | up 7.5% | rising |
| 80 | Benin | 51.38 | 2022 | up 15.0% | rising |
| 81 | Senegal | 50.36 | 2023 | up 15.7% | rising |
| 82 | Cote d'Ivoire | 50 | 2021 | up 13.9% | rising |
| 83 | Sierra Leone | 43.58 | 2019 | up 25.1% | rising |
| 84 | Burkina Faso | 41.57 | 2023 | up 20.1% | rising |
| 85 | Guinea | 39.62 | 2018 | up 56.5% | rising |
| 86 | Afghanistan | 37.27 | 2021 | up 18.5% | rising |
| 87 | Mali | 35.63 | 2024 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 88 | Niger | 35.61 | 2022 | up 16.5% | rising |
| 89 | Chad | 30.63 | 2019 | up 7.9% | rising |