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.

Historical chart and dataset showing World literacy rate by year from 1976 to 2023.

There is a gender gap in the literacy rate among the youth worldwide. Although the literacy rates have increased worldwide for both young men and women between 15 and 24 years, men are on average more literate than women. As of 2023, nearly 94 percent of young men and roughly 91.7 percent of women in the world were literate. A similar picture was seen for the adult population worldwide.

Global Literacy Rate Among Female Youth by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In the past five decades, the global literacy rate among youths aged 15 to 24 years has grown from 77 percent in 1975 to 92.84 percent in 2023. In 1975, young men had a literacy rate of 84 percent, compared to a rate of seventy percent among women. This difference of over 14 percent in 1975 has fallen to just two percent in 2019; among the total adult population, the gap in literacy rates is over seven percent.

Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) in World was reported at 87.36 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

The average for 2021 based on 58 countries was 94.32 percent. The highest value was in Romania: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Burkina Faso: 66.65 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Global Youth Literacy Rate by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

The average for 2021 based on 58 countries was 92.58 percent. The highest value was in Romania: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Afghanistan: 42 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Iraq IQ: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 43.683 % in 2013. This records a decrease from the previous number of 74.052 % for 2000. Iraq IQ: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 58.868 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2013, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 74.052 % in 2000 and a record low of 43.683 % in 2013. Iraq IQ: 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 Iraq – Table IQ.World Bank: 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 for Male, Female, and Total Population by country for most recent year available. Year of data collection for each country is listed when known. Adult literacy rates are defined as the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life. Data Sources: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics, via World Bank DataBank; CIA World Factbook; Country shapes from Natural Earth 50M scale data.

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Small States (SEADTLITRZSSST) from 1987 to 2023 about literacy, adult, and rate.

Greece GR: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 97.129 % in 2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 93.905 % for 2009. Greece GR: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 93.905 % from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2011, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 97.129 % in 2011 and a record low of 90.512 % in 1981. Greece GR: 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 Greece – Table GR.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).

Angola AO: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 82.800 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 83.773 % for 2015. Angola AO: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 82.900 % from Dec 2001 (Median) to 2022, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 83.773 % in 2015 and a record low of 80.000 % in 2014. Angola AO: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Angola – Table AO.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 April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Weighted average;

South Korea literacy rate for 2018 was 98.80%, a 0.8% increase from 2008.

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<li>South Korea literacy rate for 2008 was <strong>98.00%</strong>, a <strong>98% increase</strong> from .</li>
<li>South Korea literacy rate for was <strong>0.00%</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from .</li>
<li>South Korea literacy rate for was <strong>0.00%</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from .</li>
</ul>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.

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Upper Middle Income Countries (SEADTLITRZSUMC) from 1976 to 2023 about literacy, adult, income, and rate.

Global Adult Literacy Rate by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Editor’s Choice

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• A recent study analyzing global health literacy research from 1995 to 2020 identified the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom as major contributors to the international collaboration network on health literacy.
• Mental health has been the most active research field in recent years in the context of health literacy.

Historical chart and dataset showing Russia literacy rate by year from 1989 to 2021.

The average for 2021 based on 13 countries was 86.52 percent. The highest value was in Uzbekistan: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Afghanistan: 37 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.