Literacy rates among adults in Benin
Benin: Literacy rates among adults was 51.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Benin, 1979–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, literacy rates among adults in Benin stood at 51.4%. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 17.2% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Benin peaked at 51.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 16.5%, in 1979.
Benin ranks 80th of 89 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.5% | 16.5% | 16.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 27.2% | 27.2% | 27.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 34.7% | 34.7% | 34.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 44.4% | 38.9% | 49.0% | 4 |
| 2020s | 47.6% | 43.8% | 51.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 77 Mozambique 61.7% compare
- 78 Ethiopia 60.5% compare
- 79 Pakistan 58.9% compare
- 81 Senegal 50.4% compare
- 82 Cote d'Ivoire 50.0% compare
- 83 Sierra Leone 43.6% compare
More education data for Benin
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 55.6% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 41.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 108.0% (2022)
- Primary education, teachers 59,742 (2022)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.48 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 103.9% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Benin?
- Literacy rates among adults in Benin was 51.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates among adults recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 51.4% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.5% in 1979.
- How does Benin rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Benin ranks 80th out of 89 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin 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 among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.