List of countries with their Literacy Rates

Literacy is the key to socio-economic progress. It is a platform for democratization and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity. Over the last few decades, literacy rates have risen significantly due to the change in educational policies implemented by several countries around the world. However, many nations are still struggling behind and have the lowest literacy rate due to poor educational infrastructure, policies and awareness. 

As per UNESCO, a high literacy rate represents the existence of an effective primary education system and literacy programmes that have enabled a large proportion of the population to acquire the ability to use the written word (and making simple arithmetic calculations) in daily life and to continue learning. It is common practice to present and analyse literacy rates together with the absolute number of illiterates as improvements in literacy rates may sometimes be accompanied by increases in the illiterate population due to a changing demographic structure.

Here is the complete list of the countries with their Literacy Rates

What is literacy rate and how is it measured?

A total number of literate persons in a given age group expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group. The adult literacy rate measures literacy among persons aged 15 years and above, and the youth literacy rate measures literacy among persons aged 15 to 24 years.