In 2023, the average adult literacy rates (15 years and older) in Latin America and the Caribbean amounted to 94.79 percent. Literacy rates in Latin America and the Caribbean have been slightly improving in all three age groups since 2014.

In 2023, the share of women aged 15 or older who could read and write in Latin America and the Caribbean amounted to 94.79 percent, around 0.33 percentage point lower than the literacy rate among adult men. This region's adult literacy rate averaged at 94.8 percent in 2023.

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total: All Income Levels for Latin America and Caribbean (SEADTLITRZSLCN) from 1974 to 2023 about Caribbean Economies, Latin America, literacy, adult, income, and rate.

Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Developing Countries in Latin America and Caribbean was 94.54627 % of People Ages 15 and Above in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Developing Countries in Latin America and Caribbean reached a record high of 94.54627 in January of 2023 and a record low of 78.01447 in January of 1974. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Developing Countries in Latin America and Caribbean - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

The graph depicts the gender parity index in adult and youth literacy in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2016. As of that year, women aged 15 years and older in Latin America and the Caribbean were approximately one percent less likely to have literacy skills than men, whereas young men and women (aged between 15 and 24 years) were equally likely to be literate.

The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region was suffering from a deep learning crisis, before the COVID-19 outbreak, with most students being below minimum proficiency levels for critical foundational competencies in numeracy and literacy, according to the Fourth Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (ERCE). The pandemic that hit the region in March 2020 led to a massive shutdown of educational systems, placing LAC as the region with the longest duration of school closures in the world. The impact of school closures on education service delivery was significant. The forced move to distance learning negatively impacted attendance in the education process, both when compared to enrollment rates (-10 percent) and with pre-pandemic attendance rates (-12 percent). Most worryingly, one in four students attending the education process during the pandemic confirmed being disengaged from learning activities while at home. The COVID-19 led to a crisis within a crisis, deepening pre-existing inequalities that characterize the LAC region, as the most vulnerable populations were disproportionately affected. A significant increase in drop-out rates and decrease in learning outcomes is expected, especially for these groups and countries which were already not doing well pre-pandemic. There is a sizeable schooling and learning recovery agenda ahead of LAC, where re-enrollment campaigns, standardized and in-classroom assessments, and programs to teach to the right level will be fundamental to determine the exact depth of educational losses and start recovering. The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region was suffering from a deep learning crisis, before the COVID-19 outbreak, with most students being below minimum proficiency levels for critical foundational competencies in numeracy and literacy, according to the Fourth Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (ERCE). The pandemic that hit the region in March 2020 led to a massive shutdown of educational systems, placing LAC as the region with the longest duration of school closures in the world. The impact of school closures on education service delivery was significant. The forced move to distance learning negatively impacted attendance in the education process, both when compared to enrollment rates (-10 percent) and with pre-pandemic attendance rates (-12 percent). Most worryingly, 1 in 4 students attending the education process during the pandemic confirmed being disengaged from learning activities while at home. The COVID-19 led to a crisis within a crisis, deepening pre-existing inequalities that characterize the LAC region, as the most vulnerable populations were disproportionately affected. A significant increase in drop-out rates and decrease in learning outcomes is expected, especially for these groups and countries which were already not doing well pre-pandemic. There is a sizeable schooling and learning recovery agenda ahead of LAC, where re-enrollment campaigns, standardized and in-classroom assessments, and programs to teach to the right level will be fundamental to determine the exact depth of educational losses and start recovering.

Research in (early) literacy development involving creoles in post-colonial contexts is scarce. Therefore, Papiamento (L1) and Dutch (L2) early literacy of 296 kindergartners in post-colonial Dutch Caribbean was assessed to determine the extent to which their L1 and L2 phonological awareness and letter knowledge correlate with each other and can be predicted by L1 and L2 precursors (speech decoding, receptive vocabulary, rapid naming, verbal short-term memory). Higher phonological awareness and precursor scores were found for Papiamento. In Papiamento, speech decoding, vocabulary and rapid naming predicted phonological awareness; while phonological awareness along with vocabulary, rapid naming and verbal short-term memory predicted letter knowledge. In Dutch, speech decoding and vocabulary predicted phonological awareness. There was evidence of transfer from Papiamento- as the stronger language- to Dutch for both phonological awareness and letter knowledge. Results reveal an important role for the Papiamento Creole in the acquisition of literacy in a post-colonial language setting.

In 2020, there were approximately 1.37 million registered users of public libraries in Chile, up from 0.9 million in 2015. This represents an increase of more than 50 percent over half a decade. The average adult literacy rate in Latin America and the Caribbean altogether stood at 94.5 percent in 2020.

This dataset tracks annual reading and language arts proficiency from 2011 to 2022 for Caribbean K-8 Center vs. Florida and Miami-Dade School District

The goal of the proposed study was to obtain a literacy profile for immigrants living in Ontario, in the reading of either English or French. In particular, immigrants from the Caribbean with a mother tongue of English and immigrants with a mother tongue of Chinese, Polish, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian were profiled. Further, the study measured Ontarios immigrants perceived skills in English or French and in their own mother tongue (if applicable) as well as perceived needs with regard to training and the barriers which may restrict access to such training. The central element of the survey was the direct assessment of the literacy skills of Ontario immigrants using commonplace tasks of varying degree of difficulty drawn from a range of topic and knowledge areas. This information was supported by the collection of background information on respondents. In addition, the background questionnaire included questions on the self-assessment of literacy skills of respondents, on the training which the respondent has taken in the year previous to the survey and on the perceived barriers to realizing enhanced literacy skill levels.Each interview was approximately 1.5 hours in duration and consisted of a half-hour questionnaire, asking demographic and literacy-related questions as well as a one-hour literacy test. This literacy test was derived from that used in the 1994 International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) and covered the domains of document and quantitative literacy. An overall response rate to the survey of 76% was achieved, resulting in 4,648 respondents.

We studied the Papiamento (L1) and Dutch (L2) reading of 293 fourth grade students in the postcolonial Dutch Caribbean, where L1 just latterly has been introduced into the school curriculum. We examined the effect of language of alphabetization (L1 first vs L2 first) and other L1 and L2 cognitive-linguistic predictors on reading skills. The results show that children’s mother tongue, Papiamento, occupies a strong position in both the cognitive-linguistic precursors to learning to read and in the reading comprehension outcomes. In general, higher Papiamento predictor scores and Papiamento reading comprehension were found. However, children’s word decoding was generally higher in Dutch. Phonological awareness and rapid naming predicted Papiamento word decoding, vocabulary, phonological awareness, and rapid naming and word span predicted Dutch decoding. Word decoding, receptive vocabulary and grammatical ability predicted reading comprehension in both Papiamento and Dutch. There was evidence of linguistic interdependencies for decoding and reading comprehension between languages.

This review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies aims to provide an overview of qualitative evidence on primary healthcare access of people with disability in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as to identify barriers that exist in this region. Six databases were searched for studies from 2000 to 2022. 34 qualitative studies were identified. Barriers exist on both demand and supply sides. The thematic synthesis process generated three broad overarching analytical themes, which authors have related to Levesque et al.’s aspects of “ability to perceive,” “availability, accommodation and ability to reach” and “appropriateness and ability to engage.” Access to information and health literacy are compromised due to a lack of tailored health education materials. Barriers in the urban environment, including inadequate transportation, and insufficient healthcare facility accessibility create challenges for people with disabilities to reach healthcare facilities independently. Attitudinal barriers contribute to suboptimal care experiences. People with disabilities face several barriers in accessing healthcare. Lack of healthcare provider training, inappropriate urban infrastructure, lack of accessible transport and inaccessibility in healthcare centers are barriers that need to be addressed. With these actions, people with disabilities will be closer to having their rights met. The identification of barriers on both the supply and demand sides highlights implications for individuals with disabilities seeking access to primary healthcare services, primarily in Brazil, with similar concerns noted in Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago.Service providers should enhance access to people with disabilities by providing accessible information and reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities.More training of healthcare professionals is required to support the provision of care for people with disabilities.There is a need to improve healthcare centre accessibility, as well as local infrastructure and transportation to prevent people with disabilities from having their rights violated.Linkages should be strengthened between sectors like transportation, urban development, and health to enhance overall accessibility and prevent violations of the rights of individuals with disabilities. The identification of barriers on both the supply and demand sides highlights implications for individuals with disabilities seeking access to primary healthcare services, primarily in Brazil, with similar concerns noted in Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago. Service providers should enhance access to people with disabilities by providing accessible information and reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities. More training of healthcare professionals is required to support the provision of care for people with disabilities. There is a need to improve healthcare centre accessibility, as well as local infrastructure and transportation to prevent people with disabilities from having their rights violated. Linkages should be strengthened between sectors like transportation, urban development, and health to enhance overall accessibility and prevent violations of the rights of individuals with disabilities.