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.

Sierra Leone SL: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 41.332 % in 2013. This records a decrease from the previous number of 46.654 % for 2004. Sierra Leone SL: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 43.993 % from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2013, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 46.654 % in 2004 and a record low of 41.332 % in 2013. Sierra Leone SL: 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 Sierra Leone – Table SL.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).

Adult literacy rate of World increased by 0.23% from 87.16 % in 2022 to 87.36 % in 2023. Since the 0.36% rise in 2013, adult literacy rate rose by 2.89% in 2023. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.

Saudi Arabia SA: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data was reported at 99.222 % in 2013. This records an increase from the previous number of 95.850 % for 2004. Saudi Arabia SA: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 95.881 % from Dec 1992 (Median) to 2013, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.222 % in 2013 and a record low of 87.856 % in 1992. Saudi Arabia SA: 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 Saudi Arabia – Table SA.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).

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 in India has been increasing as more and more people receive a better education, but it is still far from all-encompassing. In 2023, the degree of literacy in India was about 77 percent, with the majority of literate Indians being men. It is estimated that the global literacy rate for people aged 15 and above is about 86 percent. How to read a literacy rateIn order to identify potential for intellectual and educational progress, the literacy rate of a country covers the level of education and skills acquired by a country’s inhabitants. Literacy is an important indicator of a country’s economic progress and the standard of living – it shows how many people have access to education. However, the standards to measure literacy cannot be universally applied. Measures to identify and define illiterate and literate inhabitants vary from country to country: In some, illiteracy is equated with no schooling at all, for example. Writings on the wallGlobally speaking, more men are able to read and write than women, and this disparity is also reflected in the literacy rate in India – with scarcity of schools and education in rural areas being one factor, and poverty another. Especially in rural areas, women and girls are often not given proper access to formal education, and even if they are, many drop out. Today, India is already being surpassed in this area by other emerging economies, like Brazil, China, and even by most other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. To catch up, India now has to offer more educational programs to its rural population, not only on how to read and write, but also on traditional gender roles and rights.

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).

Egypt EG: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 67.180 % in 2013. This records an increase from the previous number of 65.757 % for 2012. Egypt EG: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 50.704 % from Dec 1976 (Median) to 2013, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 67.180 % in 2013 and a record low of 22.438 % in 1976. Egypt EG: 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 Egypt – Table EG.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).

Adult literacy rate of Palau declined by 3.00% from 100.0 % in 2013 to 97.0 % in 2015. Since the 8.70% jump in 2013, adult literacy rate went down by 3.00% in 2015. Adult (15+) literacy rate (%). Total is the percentage of the population age 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of literates aged 15 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.

Adult literacy rate of Gambia jumped by 13.62% from 51.6 % in 2021 to 58.7 % in 2022. Since the 13.38% jump in 2013, adult literacy rate shot up by 39.86% in 2022. Adult (15+) literacy rate (%). Total is the percentage of the population age 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of literates aged 15 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.

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).

International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) student results and responses data. Includes ICILS 2013.

Data is publicly available. Commonwealth has licence to provide data for ICILS for 2013

Adult literacy rate of Botswana jumped by 7.19% from 81.00 % in 2003 to 86.82 % in 2013. Since the 17.39% surge in 2003, adult literacy rate surged by 7.19% in 2013. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.

Qatar: Literacy rate: The latest value from 2014 is 98 percent, an increase from 97 percent in 2013. In comparison, the world average is 82.37 percent, based on data from 44 countries. Historically, the average for Qatar from 1986 to 2014 is 92.18 percent. The minimum value, 76 percent, was reached in 1986 while the maximum of 98 percent was recorded in 2014.

As of 2021, South Africa's total literacy rate was around 90 percent, which means 90 percent of all South Africans could read and write. There is literally no definitionThe literacy rate measures the percentage of people aged 15 and above who can read and write. There is no common definition for what counts as being literate; individual countries use individual assessments and standards to define it. Despite this, the literacy rate is an important indicator of the standard of education and thus the standard of living in a country. Sub-standard Sub-SaharaAlthough its educational system does not have the best reputation, South Africa’s literacy rate is well above average among their geographical peers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Illiteracy is still a significant global problem, and Sub-Saharan Africa is not among the leading regions when it comes to literacy and education. In 2011, 32 million children of primary school age did not go to school in that region, but projections see enrollment figures increasing in the future – if true, this could not only improve the region’s literacy rates, but also its standard of living and human progress in general.

Adult literacy rate of Egypt increased by 4.93% from 71.00 % in 2017 to 74.50 % in 2022. Since the 2.70% fall in 2013, adult literacy rate rose by 3.47% in 2022. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.

Saudi Arabia: Youth literacy rate, ages 15-24: The latest value from 2020 is 99 percent, unchanged from 99 percent in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 92.76 percent, based on data from 37 countries. Historically, the average for Saudi Arabia from 1992 to 2020 is 96.17 percent. The minimum value, 88 percent, was reached in 1992 while the maximum of 99 percent was recorded in 2013.

Abstract

The STEP (Skills Toward Employment and Productivity) Measurement program is the first ever initiative to generate internationally comparable data on skills available in developing countries. The program implements standardized surveys to gather information on the supply and distribution of skills and the demand for skills in labor market of low-income countries.

The uniquely-designed Household Survey includes modules that measure the cognitive skills (reading, writing and numeracy), socio-emotional skills (personality, behavior and preferences) and job-specific skills (subset of transversal skills with direct job relevance) of a representative sample of adults aged 15 to 64 living in urban areas, whether they work or not. The cognitive skills module also incorporates a direct assessment of reading literacy based on the Survey of Adults Skills instruments. Modules also gather information about family, health and language. The STEP Skills Measurement Survey for Ukraine is integrated into the Ukrainian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (ULMS) 2012.

Geographic coverage

The STEP survey was limited to the urban area of Ukraine.

Analysis unit

The units of analysis are the individual respondents and households. A household roster is undertaken at the start of the survey and the individual respondent is randomly selected among all household members aged 15 to 64 included. The random selection process was designed by the STEP team and compliance with the procedure is carefully monitored during fieldwork.

Universe

The target population for the Ukraine STEP survey comprises all non-institutionalized persons 15 to 64 years of age (inclusive) living in private dwellings in urban areas of the country at the time of data collection. This includes all residents except foreign diplomats and non-nationals working for international organizations.

The sample excluded individuals permanently institutionalized in medical facilities, military quarters, and prisons; these exclusions totalled about 725,000 persons or about 2% of the population. Also excluded from STEP was a 30-km zone around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, an area with a high level of radiation contamination where public access is restricted and all population was evacuated.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The Ukraine used a stratified sample design comprised of three components: 1) ULMS Panel Sample; 2) New ULMS-2012 subsample; 3) Step Urban Subsample.

In the ULMS Panel Sample and the Step Urban Subsample, the urban sample was selected within 26 strata consisting of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Kiev, and 24 Oblasts, i.e., geographic administrative units. In the New ULMS-2012 subsample, there was no explicit stratification. The Survey Weighting Summary (see related materials) provides more information on the sampling procedure.

Sampling deviation

Some of the sampled households were ineligible for STEP for reasons such as vacant, not habitable, no eligible household member, etc.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The merged ULMS-STEP survey instrument consists of three questionnaires : (i) the merged household questionnaire\roster, including the first block of STEP; (ii) the standard individual questionnaire, including the fifth block of STEP and some parts of the second, third and fourth blocks of STEP; (iii) and the extended individual questionnaire, with an additional module on employment skills and a Reading Literacy Assessment developed by Educational Testing Services (ETS).

All countries adapted and translated both instruments from English, following the STEP Technical Standards: 2 independent translators adapted and translated the Background Questionnaire and Reading Literacy Assessment, while reconciliation was carried out by a third translator. In the Ukraine STEP survey, household and individual questionnaires were prepared in both Ukranian and Russian. However, the literacy assessment was done in Ukrainian only (due to budget constraints).

• The survey instruments were both piloted as part of the survey pretest.
• The adapted Background Questionnaires are provided in English as external resources. The Reading Literacy Assessment is protected by copyright and will not be published.

Country-specific questions on the Household Questionnaire result from a merge of STEP Ukraine survey with ULMS-2012 panel study.

Cleaning operations

STEP Data Management Process 1. Raw data is sent by the survey firm 2. The WB STEP team runs data checks on the Background Questionnaire data. - ETS runs data checks on the Reading Literacy Assessment data. - Comments and questions are sent back to the survey firm. 3. The survey firm reviews comments and questions. When a data entry error is identified, the survey firm corrects the data. 4. The WB STEP team and ETS check the data files are clean. This might require additional iterations with the survey firm. 5. Once the data has been checked and cleaned, the WB STEP team computes the weights. Weights are computed by the STEP team to ensure consistency across sampling methodologies. 6. ETS scales the Reading Literacy Assessment data. 7. The WB STEP team merges the Background Questionnaire data with the Reading Literacy Assessment data and computes derived variables.

Detailed information data processing in STEP surveys is provided in the 'Guidelines for STEP Data Entry Programs' document provided as an external resource. The template do-file used by the STEP team to check the raw background questionnaire data is provided as an external resource.

Response rate

An overall response rate of 60.4% was achieved in the Ukraine STEP Survey.

Sampling error estimates

A weighting documentation was prepared for each participating country and provides some information on sampling errors. All country weighting documentations are provided as an external resource.

Abstract

The STEP (Skills Toward Employment and Productivity) Measurement program is the first ever initiative to generate internationally comparable data on skills available in developing countries. The program implements standardized surveys to gather information on the supply and distribution of skills and the demand for skills in labor market of low-income countries.

The uniquely-designed Household Survey includes modules that measure the cognitive skills (reading, writing and numeracy), socio-emotional skills (personality, behavior and preferences) and job-specific skills (subset of transversal skills with direct job relevance) of a representative sample of adults aged 15 to 64 living in urban areas, whether they work or not. The cognitive skills module also incorporates a direct assessment of reading literacy based on the Survey of Adults Skills instruments. Modules also gather information about family, health and language.

Geographic coverage

Urban areas

Analysis unit

The units of analysis are the individual respondents and households. A household roster is undertaken at the start of the survey and the individual respondent is randomly selected among all household members 18 (in Macedonia case) to 64 years old (included). The random selection process was designed by the STEP team and compliance with the procedure is carefully monitored during fieldwork.

Universe

The target population for the Macedonia STEP survey comprises all non-institutionalized persons 15 to 64 years old living in private dwellings in urban areas of the country at the time of data collection. This includes all residents except foreign diplomats and non-nationals working for international organizations.

Persons 15-17 years old were not explicitly included in the sample frame due to the fact that they do not have the right to vote in the Republic of Macedonia. The sampling frame was electoral polling stations listing. This group of 15 to 17 year old persons is most probably living in a dwelling with a person who is 18 to 64 years old and therefore the 15 to 17 year old persons are likely present in the target dwellings.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Stratified 3-stage sample design was implemented in Macedonia, FYR. The stratification objective was to obtain an approximately proportional sample from two ethnic groups, Macedonian and Albanian. To meet this objective, the sample was stratified by seven ethnic groups based on the proportion of Macedonian voters in each primary sampling unit (PSU).

The primary sample unit (PSU) was an electoral polling station. The sample frame was a list of 1,280 electoral polling stations, which was updated at the time of the 2011 Elections in Macedonia.

The first stage units were selected by a World Bank survey methodologist. The sampling objective was to select 289 PSUs, comprised of 268 initial PSUs and 21 reserve PSUs. Although 289 PSUs were selected, only 268 PSUs were activated; none of the 21 reserve PSUs was activated during data collection. The PSUs were selected using a systematic probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling method, where the measure of size was the number of registered voters aged 18 to 64 in a PSU. Each PSU was uniquely defined by the sample frame variable 'PSUsmpID'.

The second stage sample unit (SSU) is a household. The sampling objective was to obtain interviews at 15 households within each selected PSU. A Macedonian survey firm conducted field listing within each selected PSU. The survey team expected the non-response rate to be in the range of 30% to 50%. In order to allow for a low response rate, a sample of 45 households was selected in each PSU using a systematic random method.

The third stage sample unit was an individual 15-64 (inclusive) years old. The sampling objective was to select one individual with equal probability from each selected household.

Total of 4,000 households in the initial sample were divided into Albanian strata (1,200) and Macedonian strata (2,800).

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The STEP survey instruments include:

• The background questionnaire developed by the World Bank (WB) STEP team
• Reading Literacy Assessment developed by Educational Testing Services (ETS).

All countries adapted and translated both instruments following the STEP technical standards: two independent translators adapted and translated the STEP background questionnaire and Reading Literacy Assessment, while reconciliation was carried out by a third translator.

The survey instruments were piloted as part of the survey pre-test.

The background questionnaire covers such topics as respondents' demographic characteristics, dwelling characteristics, education and training, health, employment, job skill requirements, personality, behavior and preferences, language and family background.

In Macedonia, the survey firm implemented a partial Literacy Assessment design. The partial assessment required each selected person to attempt to complete a General Booklet comprising Reading Components and a set of Core Literacy items.

The background questionnaire, the structure of the Reading Literacy Assessment and Reading Literacy Data Codebook are provided in the document "Macedonia, FYR STEP Skills Measurement Survey Instruments", available in external resources.

Cleaning operations

STEP data management process:

1) Raw data is sent by the survey firm 2) The World Bank (WB) STEP team runs data checks on the background questionnaire data. Educational Testing Services (ETS) runs data checks on the Reading Literacy Assessment data. Comments and questions are sent back to the survey firm. 3) The survey firm reviews comments and questions. When a data entry error is identified, the survey firm corrects the data. 4) The WB STEP team and ETS check if the data files are clean. This might require additional iterations with the survey firm. 5) Once the data has been checked and cleaned, the WB STEP team computes the weights. Weights are computed by the STEP team to ensure consistency across sampling methodologies. 6) ETS scales the Reading Literacy Assessment data. 7) The WB STEP team merges the background questionnaire data with the Reading Literacy Assessment data and computes derived variables.

Detailed information on data processing in STEP surveys is provided in "STEP Guidelines for Data Processing" document, available in external resources. The template do-file used by the STEP team to check raw background questionnaire data is provided as an external resource, too.

Response rate

An overall response rate of 66.9% was achieved in the Macedonia STEP Household Survey. Table 18 in "STEP Weighting Procedures Summary, Macedonia, FYR" provides the response rate by stratum.