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 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 worldwide 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 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.

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 July of 2025.

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

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.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for the World (SEADTLITRZSWLD) from 1976 to 2023 about literacy, adult, World, and rate.

The "World Literacy Rate by Country" dataset provides a detailed snapshot of literacy rates across different countries in the world. This dataset is organized into several key columns:

S.No: This column lists the serial number for each country, helping to keep the data organized and easy to reference. Country: This column names the countries included in the dataset, allowing for a clear understanding of which nation each literacy rate pertains to. Literacy rate in percentage: This column shows the literacy rate of each country, expressed as a percentage. This figure represents the proportion of the population that can read and write. Year: This column indicates the year in which the literacy rate was recorded, providing a temporal context for the data. By examining this dataset, you can gain insights into the educational progress and challenges faced by different countries in the world.

Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) in World was reported at 93.93 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

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).

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Other Small States (SEADTLITRZSOSS) from 1984 to 2023 about literacy, adult, and rate.

Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) in World was reported at 91.67 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

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.

Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) in World was reported at 90.61 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Low Income Countries (SEADTLITRZSLIC) from 1988 to 2023 about literacy, adult, income, and rate.

Cameroon CM: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 78.230 % in 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 77.071 % for 2018. Cameroon CM: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 70.985 % from Dec 1976 (Median) to 2020, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 78.230 % in 2020 and a record low of 41.216 % in 1976. Cameroon CM: 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 Cameroon – Table CM.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 October 24, 2022. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Weighted average;

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

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;

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.

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.