Literacy rates among adults in Uganda
Uganda: Literacy rates among adults was 77.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Uganda, 1991–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rates among adults in Uganda stood at 77.0%.
The figure is down 4.3% on the previous year and up 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Uganda peaked at 80.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 56.1%, in 1991.
Uganda ranks 63rd of 89 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 56.1% | 56.1% | 56.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 69.8% | 68.1% | 71.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 70.3% | 68.5% | 73.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 78.9% | 77.0% | 80.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More education data for Uganda
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 54.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 43.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 106.2% (2017)
- Primary education, teachers 207,238 (2017)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.17 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 106.8% (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Uganda?
- Literacy rates among adults in Uganda was 77.0% 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 Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 80.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.1% in 1991.
- How does Uganda rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Uganda ranks 63rd out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uganda 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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CSV · JSON — 10 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.