Literacy rates among adults in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Literacy rates among adults was 68.5% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Literacy rates among adults in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 68.5% for literacy rates among adults in 2023.
That represents a change of up 4.3% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 77.0% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 65.7%, in 2020.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 75th of 89 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 67.2% | 67.2% | 67.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 75.2% | 73.5% | 77.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 67.1% | 65.7% | 68.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More education data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 51.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 45.9% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 117.6% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 561,172 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 5.98 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 114.3% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Literacy rates among adults in Democratic Republic of Congo was 68.5% in 2023, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 77.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.7% in 2020.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 75th out of 89 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.