Literacy rates among adults in Ecuador

Ecuador: Literacy rates among adults was 93.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
93.5%
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
43rd
of 89 countries
All-time high
96.3%
in 2022
All-time low
83.5%
in 1982
Years of data
18
1982–2024

Literacy rates among adults in Ecuador, 1982–2024

0204060801001982200320241982: 83.5 %1990: 88.3 %2001: 91 %2007: 92.1 %2008: 92.4 %2009: 92.2 %2010: 91.8 %2011: 91.6 %2012: 92.1 %2013: 93.3 %2014: 94.2 %2015: 94.5 %2016: 94.3 %2017: 92.8 %2020: 93.6 %2021: 94.5 %2022: 96.3 %2024: 93.5 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, literacy rates among adults in Ecuador stood at 93.5%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Ecuador peaked at 96.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 83.5%, in 1982.

Ecuador ranks 43rd of 89 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 83.5% 83.5% 83.5% 1
1990s 88.3% 88.3% 88.3% 1
2000s 91.9% 91.0% 92.4% 4
2010s 93.1% 91.6% 94.5% 8
2020s 94.5% 93.5% 96.3% 4

Countries ranked near Ecuador

  1. 40 Dominican Republic 94.0% compare
  2. 41 Peru 93.7% compare
  3. 42 Myanmar 93.5% compare
  4. 44 Sri Lanka 92.7% compare
  5. 45 South Africa 91.2% compare
  6. 46 Thailand 91.1% compare

See the full ranking of 89 places →

More education data for Ecuador

All data for Ecuador →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rates among adults in Ecuador?
Literacy rates among adults in Ecuador was 93.5% in 2024, 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 Ecuador?
The highest recorded value was 96.3% in 2022.
What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Ecuador?
The lowest recorded value was 83.5% in 1982.
How does Ecuador rank for literacy rates among adults?
Ecuador ranks 43rd out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Ecuador?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ecuador 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

Indicator
Literacy rates among adults
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
89 places, 916 data points, 1975–2024
Last refreshed

Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.