Literacy rates among adults in Venezuela
Venezuela: Literacy rates among adults was 97.2% in 2017. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Venezuela, 1981–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2017, literacy rates among adults in Venezuela stood at 97.2%. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Venezuela peaked at 97.2% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 84.7%, in 1981.
Venezuela ranks 24th of 89 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Literacy rates among adults in Venezuela, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 84.7% | — |
| 1990 | 89.8% | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 93.0% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 94.4% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 94.7% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 95.2% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 95.3% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 95.5% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 95.4% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 94.8% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 96.0% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 96.6% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 97.1% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 97.2% | +0.1% |
Venezuela compared with similar countries
- Venezuela's 97.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 78.2%, 1.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Venezuela's 97.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 94.9%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 84.7% | 84.7% | 84.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 89.8% | 89.8% | 89.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 94.7% | 93.0% | 95.5% | 6 |
| 2010s | 96.2% | 94.8% | 97.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Venezuela
More education data for Venezuela
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 284,798 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,774 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 886,275 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 788,599 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.70 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.54 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.0528 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1247 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Venezuela?
- Literacy rates among adults in Venezuela was 97.2% in 2017, 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 Venezuela?
- The highest recorded value was 97.2% in 2017.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Venezuela?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.7% in 1981.
- How does Venezuela rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Venezuela ranks 24th out of 89 countries with data for 2017.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Venezuela?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Venezuela 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.