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.

In 2020, China had a youth literacy rate of about **** percent. In contrast, Afghanistan's youth literacy rate stood at **** percent in 2021.Indicators for the literacy rateAn indicator which can be seen to affect the literacy rate is the governmental effort in investing in education. The amount of funds invested into the education sector is a factor which can determine a country’s state of education, as the amount of money being spent on education would have an impact on resources, learning environment, and teaching quality. Singapore’s student-teacher ratio in primary education is significantly lower than that of South Asian countries. For instance, Nepal had 20.3 students for every teacher in 2019. Meanwhile, Singaporean teachers only had around **** students on average as of 2020. Notably, South Asia, together with sub-Saharan Africa, had a much higher illiteracy rate compared to the East Asian and Pacific region in 2022. The importance of literacyThe literacy rate indicates the percentage of people within a population who can read and write. This enables them to identify, understand and interpret materials with various contexts. Ensuring literacy for all pupils is a part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for quality education. This in turn stimulates economic and societal growth for the future.

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.

Between 2018 and 2022, Seychelles was the country with the highest adult literacy rate in Africa, at around ** percent. São Tomé and Príncipe and Namibia followed with a literacy rate of approximately ** percent and ** percent, respectively. The average rate on the continent stood at roughly ** percent. Moreover, Southern Africa had the highest literacy levels among African regions.

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.

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

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.

The average for 2021 based on 3 countries was 94.81 percent. The highest value was in Costa Rica: 98.04 percent and the lowest value was in Puerto Rico: 92.4 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2020, the adult literacy rate among the population above 15 years of age in Mongolia amounted to approximately **** percent, more than in any other country in the Asia-Pacific region. Comparatively, the adult literacy rate in Afghanistan amounted to approximately **** percent of the population aged 15 years and above in 2021.

In 2020, the highest percentage of female literacy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was in Jordan at about 97.8 percent of the females. Within the region, Syria, Libya and Iraq have been suffering from conflict and humanitarian crises.

The statistic depicts the literacy rate in Mexico from 2008 to 2020. The literacy rate measures the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can read and write. In 2020, Mexico's literacy rate was around 95.25 percent. The source does not provide data for 2019.Education in MexicoThe literacy rate is commonly defined as the share of people in a country who are older than 15 years and are able to read and write. In Mexico, a state with more than 115 million inhabitants, the literacy rate is above 90 percent, making it significantly higher than the global average. More than 70 percent of Mexico’s population is older than 15 years, a figure than has been quite consistent over the last ten years. Mexico’s compulsory education comprises grades 1 to 9, with an optional secondary education up to grade 12. Literacy is considered basic education. The lowest literacy rates can be found in African countries, the highest in Europe. Additionally, the literacy rate is one of the factors that determines a country’s ranking on the Human Development Index of the United Nations, which ranks the overall well-being of a country’s population. Apart from literacy, it also includes factors such as per-capita income, health and life expectancy and others. Mexico is currently not among the countries with the highest Human Development Index value.

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

The average for 2021 based on 4 countries was 90.41 percent. The highest value was in Singapore: 98 percent and the lowest value was in Cambodia: 71.93 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Turkey Youth Literacy Rate jumped by 0.2points in 2019, compared to a year earlier.

The average for 2021 based on 13 countries was 78.72 percent. The highest value was in Mauritius: 99.3 percent and the lowest value was in Guinea: 60.33 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2021, India had a rank of 73 out of 120 countries for internet literacy. Internet literacy, according to research, assessed the level of education and preparedness to use the internet. In terms of sub-indices, web accessibility ranked highest.

India literacy rate for 2022 was 76.32%, a 7.02% increase from 2011.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>India literacy rate for 2011 was <strong>69.30%</strong>, a <strong>6.55% increase</strong> from 2006.</li>
<li>India literacy rate for 2006 was <strong>62.75%</strong>, a <strong>1.74% increase</strong> from 2001.</li>
<li>India literacy rate for 2001 was <strong>61.01%</strong>, a <strong>12.79% increase</strong> from 1991.</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.

Kenya literacy rate for 2022 was 82.88%, a 4.15% increase from 2014.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Kenya literacy rate for 2014 was <strong>78.73%</strong>, a <strong>6.58% increase</strong> from 2007.</li>
<li>Kenya literacy rate for 2007 was <strong>72.16%</strong>, a <strong>9.84% decline</strong> from 2000.</li>
<li>Kenya literacy rate for 2000 was <strong>82.00%</strong>, a <strong>82% 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.

Costa Rica CR: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data was reported at 1.002 Ratio in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.134 Ratio for 2018. Costa Rica CR: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 1.000 Ratio from Dec 1984 (Median) to 2021, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.134 Ratio in 2018 and a record low of 1.000 Ratio in 2011. Costa Rica CR: 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 Costa Rica – Table CR.World Bank.WDI: Social: 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 (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Weighted average;

Mali ML: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data was reported at 0.648 Ratio in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.693 Ratio for 2011. Mali ML: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 0.625 Ratio from Dec 1976 (Median) to 2015, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.693 Ratio in 2011 and a record low of 0.505 Ratio in 1976. Mali ML: 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 Mali – Table ML.World Bank.WDI: 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).