The rate of adult literacy as share of the country's population 15 years and above in Ghana increased by *** percent (+**** percent) in 2020 in comparison to the previous year. While the growth is slowing down, with ***** percent, the rate of adult literacy is at its peak in the observed period. Notably, the rate of adult literacy continuously increased over the last years.The adult literacy rate refers to the share of individuals aged 15 years and older who can read and write as well as understand simple expressions about their daily lives.Find more statistics on other topics about Ghana with key insights such as Gender Parity Index (GPI) in youth literacy, number of children out of school, and duration of compulsory education.

Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) in Ghana was reported at 76.49 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ghana - Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on February of 2026.

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).

Ghana: Youth literacy rate, ages 15-24: The latest value from 2022 is 85.86 percent, a decline from 93.48 percent in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 90.52 percent, based on data from 65 countries. Historically, the average for Ghana from 2000 to 2022 is 84.49 percent. The minimum value, 71 percent, was reached in 2000 while the maximum of 93.48 percent was recorded in 2020.

Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) in Ghana was reported at 89.86 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ghana - Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on April of 2026.

Ghana GH: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data was reported at 85.716 % in 2010. This records an increase from the previous number of 70.663 % for 2000. Ghana GH: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 78.190 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2010, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 85.716 % in 2010 and a record low of 70.663 % in 2000. Ghana GH: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 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: 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).

Historical dataset showing Ghana literacy rate by year from 2000 to 2020.

Ghana GH: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 78.349 % in 2010. This records an increase from the previous number of 66.351 % for 2000. Ghana GH: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 72.350 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2010, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 78.349 % in 2010 and a record low of 66.351 % in 2000. Ghana GH: 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 Ghana – Table GH.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).

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%) in Ghana was reported at 50.93 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ghana - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on April of 2026.

Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) in Ghana was reported at 81.33 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ghana - Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on April of 2026.

Ghana: Literacy rate: Pour cet indicateur, UNESCO fournit des données pour la Ghana de 2000 à 2020. La valeur moyenne pour Ghana pendant cette période était de 68.47 pour cent avec un minimum de 58 pour cent en 2000 et un maximum de 80.38 pour cent en 2020.

Ghana GH: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data was reported at 88.311 % in 2010. This records an increase from the previous number of 75.946 % for 2000. Ghana GH: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 82.128 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2010, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 88.311 % in 2010 and a record low of 75.946 % in 2000. Ghana GH: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 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: 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).

Ghana GH: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 65.295 % in 2010. This records an increase from the previous number of 49.792 % for 2000. Ghana GH: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 57.543 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2010, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 65.295 % in 2010 and a record low of 49.792 % in 2000. Ghana GH: 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 Ghana – Table GH.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).

Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) in Ghana was reported at 82.83 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ghana - Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on April of 2026.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male (%) in Ghana was reported at 64.97 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ghana - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on April of 2026.

Ghana GH: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data was reported at 0.943 Ratio in 2010. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.862 Ratio for 2000. Ghana GH: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 0.902 Ratio from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2010, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.943 Ratio in 2010 and a record low of 0.862 Ratio in 2000. Ghana GH: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 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: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for youth literacy rate is the ratio of females to males 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).

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) in Ghana was reported at 39.01 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ghana - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on April of 2026.

Literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI) in Ghana was reported at 0.92177 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ghana - Ratio of young literate females to males (% ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on February of 2026.

Ghana: Female literacy rate, ages 15-24: Pour cet indicateur, UNESCO fournit des données pour la Ghana de 2000 à 2022. La valeur moyenne pour Ghana pendant cette période était de 80.85 pour cent avec un minimum de 65 pour cent en 2000 et un maximum de 93.36 pour cent en 2020.

Female literacy rate in Nigeria is among the highest in West Africa. However, the difference between male and female literacy rates are substantial in both urban and rural areas. As of 2018, the rate among men living in rural areas of Nigeria reached roughly 60 percent, whereas female literacy rates in the same areas was 35 percent. The gap in urban Nigeria amounted to about ten percentage points.

In West Africa, the highest female literacy rates were registered in Cabo Verde and Ghana, while Nigeria ranked third.