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.

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.

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 2023, about 90.6 percent of men and a little less than 84.1 percent of women in the world 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 the 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.

Global Literacy Rate Among Male 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.

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

In 2023, the illiteracy rate among adults aged 15 years and older was almost 32 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa. In South Asia, the illiteracy rate was 25 percent. Adult illiteracy rate is defined as the percentage of the population aged 15 and older who can not read or write. Even though illiteracy continues to persist around the world, illiteracy levels have been reduced significantly over the past decades.

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

Ghana GH: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 71.497 % in 2010. This records an increase from the previous number of 57.897 % for 2000. Ghana GH: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 64.697 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2010, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 71.497 % in 2010 and a record low of 57.897 % in 2000. Ghana GH: 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 Ghana – Table GH.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).

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.

Venezuela VE: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 97.039 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 96.651 % for 2015. Venezuela VE: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 94.942 % from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2016, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 97.039 % in 2016 and a record low of 86.489 % in 1981. Venezuela VE: 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 Venezuela – Table VE.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).

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

The dataset includes responses to a survey conducted in the below countries. The reasons to why respondents can't access the internet (due to digital literacy, affordability, relevance, other) are presented as share of respondents (%).

Figure Note: Respondents to the survey conducted for this Report had access to internet service. Responses to the digital literacy category included “Do not know what internet is” and “Do not know how to use internet.” Responses to the affordability category included “No access device” and “Too expensive.” Responses to the relevance category included “No interest/not useful” and “No relevant content in local language”.

This statistic depicts literacy rates worldwide as of 2012, by WHO region. As of that year, it was estimated that some 64 percent of the Afrcian population aged 15 years and over were literate. In comparison, there were 99 percent literate persons in Europe.

Gambia GM: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 41.950 % in 2013. This records an increase from the previous number of 36.818 % for 2000. Gambia GM: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 39.384 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2013, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 41.950 % in 2013 and a record low of 36.818 % in 2000. Gambia GM: 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 Gambia – Table GM.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).

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, 2011 (PIRLS 2011), is part of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) program. PIRLS 2011 (https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pirls/) is a cross-sectional study that provides international comparative information of the reading literacy of fourth-grade students and examines factors that may be associated with the acquisition of reading literacy in young students. The study was conducted using questionnaires and direct assessments of fourth-grade students. In the United States a total of 370 schools and 12,726 fourth-grade students participated in 2011. The final weighted student response rate was 96 percent and the final weighted school response rate was 85 percent. The overall weighted response rate was 81 percent. Key statistics produced from PIRLS 2011 are how well fourth-grade students read, how students in one country compare with students in another country, how much fourth-grade students value and enjoy reading, and internationally, how the reading habits and attitudes of students vary.

Global Gender Parity Index for Youth Literacy Rate by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Algeria DZ: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 74.210 % in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 75.323 % for 2018. Algeria DZ: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 66.000 % from Dec 1987 (Median) to 2019, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 75.323 % in 2018 and a record low of 36.000 % in 1987. Algeria DZ: 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 Algeria – Table DZ.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 30, 2024. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Weighted average;

Sierra Leone SL: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 32.426 % in 2013. This records a decrease from the previous number of 34.827 % for 2004. Sierra Leone SL: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 33.626 % from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2013, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 34.827 % in 2004 and a record low of 32.426 % in 2013. Sierra Leone SL: 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 Sierra Leone – Table SL.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).

Lithuania LT: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data was reported at 99.867 % in 2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 99.742 % for 2001. Lithuania LT: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 99.742 % from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2011, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.867 % in 2011 and a record low of 99.708 % in 1989. Lithuania LT: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Lithuania – Table LT.World Bank: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 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).