There is a gender gap in the global literacy rate. Although literacy rates have generally increased worldwide for both men and women, men are on average more literate than women. As of 2024, about 90.91 percent of men and a little less than 88.8 percent of women worldwide were literate. Adult literacy rate is defined as the percentage of people aged 15 years and above who can both read and write with understanding a short, simple statement about their everyday life. Youth literacy rate Not only does the literacy gender gap concern adults, it also exists among the world’s younger generations aged 15 to 24. Despite an overall increase in literacy, young men are still more literate than young women. In fact, the global youth literacy rate as gender parity index was 0.98 as of 2023, indicating that young women are not yet as literate as young men. Gender pay gap Gender gaps occur in many different spheres of global society. One such issue concerns salary gender gaps in professional life. Regarding the controlled gender pay gap, which measures the median salary for men and women with the same job and qualifications, women still earned less than men as of 2024. The difference was even bigger when measuring the median salary for all men and women. However, not everyone worries about gender pay gaps. According to a survey from 2021, 54 percent of the female respondents deemed the gender pay gap a real problem, compared to 45 percent of the male respondents.

In the past five decades, the global literacy rate among adults has grown from 67 percent in 1976 to 87.36 percent in 2023. In 1976, males had a literacy rate of 76 percent, compared to a rate of 58 percent among females. This difference of over 17 percent in 1976 has fallen to just seven percent in 2020. Although gaps in literacy rates have fallen across all regions in recent decades, significant disparities remain across much of South Asia and Africa, while the difference is below one percent in Europe and the Americas. Reasons for these differences are rooted in economic and cultural differences across the globe. In poorer societies, families with limited means are often more likely to invest in their sons' education, while their daughters take up a more domestic role. Varieties do exist on national levels, however, and female literacy levels can sometimes exceed the male rate even in impoverished nations, such as Lesotho (where the difference was over 17 percent in 2014); nonetheless, these are exceptions to the norm.

United States - Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Other Small States was 86.25975 % of People Ages 15 and Above in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Other Small States reached a record high of 86.25975 in January of 2023 and a record low of 71.82288 in January of 1983. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Other Small States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

The "World Literacy Rate by Country" dataset provides a detailed snapshot of literacy rates across different countries in the world. This dataset is organized into several key columns:

S.No: This column lists the serial number for each country, helping to keep the data organized and easy to reference. Country: This column names the countries included in the dataset, allowing for a clear understanding of which nation each literacy rate pertains to. Literacy rate in percentage: This column shows the literacy rate of each country, expressed as a percentage. This figure represents the proportion of the population that can read and write. Year: This column indicates the year in which the literacy rate was recorded, providing a temporal context for the data. By examining this dataset, you can gain insights into the educational progress and challenges faced by different countries in the world.

The rate of adult literacy as share of the country's population 15 years and above in Brazil was 94.69 percent in 2022. Between 1980 and 2022, the rate of adult literacy rose by 19.69 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Context

The literacy rate is defined by the percentage of the population of a given age group that can read and write. The adult literacy rate corresponds to ages 15 and above, the youth literacy rate to ages 15 to 24. It is typically measured according to the ability to comprehend a short simple statement on everyday life.

Content

The dataset contains information about the literacy rates across the globe for various countries. It is grouped into 3 major categories, Total %, Male% and Female %. The dataset has 2 csv files. 1) Adults_15YrsAndUp.csv - Contains literacy rate information for Adults

2) Youth_15to24Yrs.csv - Contains literacy rate information for Youth

Acknowledgements

The dataset is sourced from Unicef.

Inspiration

Exploratory Data Analysis to find greater insights into the data.

View yearly updates and historical trends for World Adult Literacy Rate. Source: World Bank. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for China (SEADTLITRZSCHN) from 1982 to 2020 about literacy, adult, China, and rate.

Egypt EG: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 67.180 % in 2013. This records an increase from the previous number of 65.757 % for 2012. Egypt EG: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 50.704 % from Dec 1976 (Median) to 2013, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 67.180 % in 2013 and a record low of 22.438 % in 1976. Egypt EG: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Egypt – Table EG.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Adult literacy rate of Chad dropped by 10.93% from 30.6 % in 2019 to 27.3 % in 2022. Since the 7.69% jump in 2004, adult literacy rate went down by 2.57% in 2022. Adult (15+) literacy rate (%). Total is the percentage of the population age 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of literates aged 15 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.

Actual value and historical data chart for World Literacy Rate Adult Total Percent Of People Ages 15 And Above

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Viet Nam (SEADTLITRZSVNM) from 1979 to 2022 about literacy, Viet Nam, adult, and rate.

The statistic shows the degree of adult literacy in China from 1982 to 2020. In 2020, the literacy rate, which is defined as people aged 15 and above who can read and write, had reached about 97.15 percent in China.

Global literacy rates

By 2020, around 86.8 percent of the world population aged 15 years and above had been able to read and write. While in developed regions this figure ranged a lot higher, only around 67 percent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa was literate. Countries with the lowest literacy rates are also the most underdeveloped worldwide. According to UNESCO, literacy is a human right, especially in a fast-changing and technology-driven world. In China, the literacy rate has developed from 79 percent in 1982 to 97 percent in 2020, indicating that almost one million people per year had become literate over three decades. In India, the situation was entirely different. The second most populous country in the world displayed a literacy rate of merely 76 percent in 2022.

Literacy in China

The dramatic increase in literacy in China has a lot to do with the efficacy of numerous political, economic and educational policies. In 1982, compulsory education was written into the Chinese constitution, postulating a nine-year compulsory education funded by the government. As is shown by the graph above, there was a large gender gap in literacy rate in China as of 1982. Though this gap still existed in 2020, it was narrowed down to three percent, starting from 28 percent in 1982. Since 1990, the national education policy was directed at females, especially from poor and/or minority families. Over the past years, China has achieved gender parity in primary schooling.

However, regional literacy disparities in China should not to be overlooked. Regions with a strong economic background tend to display illiteracy rates below national average. In contrast, economically underdeveloped regions have a much larger share of people who cannot read nor write. Tibet for instance, a region where 92 percent of the population belong to an ethnic minority, showed the highest illiterate rate nationwide, with around 34 percent in 2022.

Argentina AR: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 97.193 % in 2001. This records an increase from the previous number of 96.041 % for 1991. Argentina AR: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 96.041 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2001, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 97.193 % in 2001 and a record low of 93.913 % in 1980. Argentina AR: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Argentina – Table AR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed September 19, 2023. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Weighted average;

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Chile (SEADTLITRZSCHL) from 1982 to 2022 about literacy, Chile, adult, and rate.

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa (SEADTLITRZSMEA) from 1973 to 2024 about North Africa, Middle East, literacy, adult, income, and rate.

United States - Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Lower Middle Income Countries was 77.63182 % of People Ages 15 and Above in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Lower Middle Income Countries reached a record high of 77.63182 in January of 2023 and a record low of 47.38413 in January of 1975. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Lower Middle Income Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

Actual value and historical data chart for South Sudan Literacy Rate Adult Total Percent Of People Ages 15 And Above

Adult literacy rate of United Republic of Tanzania jumped by 5.15% from 78.0 % in 2015 to 82.0 % in 2022. Since the 1.74% reduction in 2010, adult literacy rate shot up by 20.97% in 2022. Adult (15+) literacy rate (%). Total is the percentage of the population age 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of literates aged 15 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.

Adult literacy rate of Romania remained constant at 99.0 % over the last 1 years. Adult (15+) literacy rate (%). Total is the percentage of the population age 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of literates aged 15 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.