Literacy rates among adults in Ecuador
Ecuador: Literacy rates among adults was 93.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Ecuador, 1982–2024
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.
Literacy rates among adults in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 83.5% | — |
| 1990 | 88.3% | +5.7% |
| 2001 | 91.0% | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 92.1% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 92.4% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 92.2% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 91.8% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 91.6% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 92.1% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 93.3% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 94.2% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 94.5% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 94.3% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 92.8% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 93.6% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 94.5% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 96.3% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 93.5% | -2.9% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 93.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.5%, 98% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 93.5% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 94.9%, 99% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More education data for Ecuador
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 93,535 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 5,078 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 288,731 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 291,075 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.79 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.72 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.72 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0951 units per person (2024)
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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.