Literacy rates among adults in Mozambique
Mozambique: Literacy rates among adults was 61.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Mozambique, 1980–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Mozambique recorded 61.7% for literacy rates among adults in 2022. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.2% on the previous year and up 21.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Mozambique peaked at 61.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 27.0%, in 1980.
That places Mozambique 77th out of 89 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 27.0% | 27.0% | 27.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 38.7% | 38.7% | 38.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 49.4% | 48.2% | 50.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 58.3% | 56.0% | 60.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 60.7% | 59.8% | 61.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Mozambique
More education data for Mozambique
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 53.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 44.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 119.2% (2022)
- Primary education, teachers 133,644 (2022)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.69 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 116.1% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Mozambique?
- Literacy rates among adults in Mozambique was 61.7% 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 Mozambique?
- The highest recorded value was 61.7% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Mozambique?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.0% in 1980.
- How does Mozambique rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Mozambique ranks 77th out of 89 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Mozambique?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mozambique 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.