Literacy Rates
Literacy Rate by Country 2026
World
87.74%
0.19%
Global literacy rates are high on average, but regional disparities still exist between developed and developing countries. Global Average
Uzbekistan 100%
Top-performing countries typically achieve near 100% literacy due to strong education systems and widespread access to schooling. Highest
South Sudan 26.83%
Lower literacy rates are often associated with barriers such as poverty, limited infrastructure, and reduced access to education. Lowest
Total Population Literacy Rate
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Countries Ranked by Literacy Rate
Country | Total Population Literacy Rate↓ | Literacy Rate - Male | Literacy Rate - Female | Data Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Uzbekistan | 100% | 100% | 100% | 2022 |
 | North Korea | 100% | 100% | 100% | 2008 |
 | Norway | 100% | |||
 | Finland | 100% | 2000 | ||
 | Luxembourg | 100% | 2000 | ||
 | Andorra | 100% | 100% | 100% | 2016 |
 | Greenland | 100% | 100% | 100% | 2015 |
 | Liechtenstein | 100% | |||
 | Palau | 100% | 100% | 100% | 2020 |
 | Tuvalu | 100% | 100% | 100% | 2022 |
 | Russia | 99.93% | 99.92% | 99.94% | 2021 |
 | San Marino | 99.91% | 99.9% | 99.93% | 2022 |
 | Turkmenistan | 99.9% | 99.9% | 99.9% | 2022 |
 | Latvia | 99.9% | 99.88% | 99.91% | 2011 |
 | Estonia | 99.89% | 99.86% | 99.91% | 2011 |
 | Belarus | 99.87% | 99.87% | 99.88% | 2019 |
 | Armenia | 99.84% | 99.77% | 99.9% | 2023 |
 | Lithuania | 99.82% | 99.79% | 99.83% | 2011 |
 | Poland | 99.8% | 99.8% | 99.8% | 2021 |
 | Tajikistan | 99.8% | 100% | 94.62% | 2015 |
 | Azerbaijan | 99.78% | 99.84% | 99.73% | 2023 |
 | Kazakhstan | 99.73% | 99.79% | 99.68% | 2009 |
 | Spain | 99.7% | 99.81% | 99.59% | 2021 |
 | Georgia | 99.68% | 99.75% | 99.62% | 2024 |
 | Barbados | 99.6% | 99.6% | 99.6% | 2014 |
 | Slovenia | 99.52% | 99.6% | 99.45% | 1991 |
 | Ukraine | 99.43% | 99.74% | 99.17% | 2001 |
 | Guam | 99.37% | 99.42% | 99.31% | 1990 |
 | Moldova | 99.36% | 99.6% | 99.14% | 2014 |
 | Italy | 99.35% | 99.48% | 99.22% | 2019 |
 | Serbia | 99.34% | 99.61% | 99.1% | 2022 |
 | Kyrgyzstan | 99.24% | 99.52% | 98.98% | 2009 |
 | Romania | 99.16% | 99.02% | 99.28% | 2021 |
 | Argentina | 99.14% | 99.13% | 99.16% | 2020 |
 | Hungary | 99.1% | 99.1% | 99.1% | 2021 |
 | Fiji | 99.1% | 99.1% | 92.43% | 2018 |
 | United States | 99% | |||
 | Japan | 99% | |||
 | Germany | 99% | |||
 | United Kingdom | 99% | |||
 | Netherlands | 99% | |||
 | Sweden | 99% | |||
 | Czechia | 99% | 99% | 99% | 2011 |
 | Ireland | 99% | |||
 | New Zealand | 99% | |||
 | Antigua and Barbuda | 99% | 98.4% | 99.42% | 2015 |
 | Uruguay | 98.91% | 98.63% | 99.17% | 2024 |
 | Cayman Islands | 98.87% | 98.72% | 99.02% | 2007 |
 | United Arab Emirates | 98.81% | 99.03% | 98.43% | 2024 |
 | Cyprus | 98.68% | 99.29% | 98.12% | 2011 |
 | Mongolia | 98.64% | 98.33% | 98.93% | 2023 |
 | Kiribati | 98.63% | 98.63% | 98.95% | 2020 |
 | Grenada | 98.6% | 98.6% | 98.6% | 2014 |
 | Montenegro | 98.53% | 99.15% | 97.95% | 2018 |
 | Taiwan | 98.5% | 99.7% | 97.3% | 2014 |
 | Philippines | 98.47% | 98.41% | 97% | 2020 |
 | Bulgaria | 98.35% | 98.75% | 97.98% | 2011 |
 | Maldives | 98.21% | 98.16% | 98.26% | 2019 |
 | Croatia | 98.15% | 99.32% | 97.08% | 2001 |
 | Palestine | 98% | 99.55% | 96.87% | 2022 |
 | Samoa | 97.99% | 98.32% | 97.66% | 2019 |
 | South Korea | 97.97% | 98.32% | 97.62% | 2008 |
 | Saudi Arabia | 97.93% | 98.58% | 96.69% | 2024 |
 | Bahrain | 97.82% | 98.67% | 96.29% | 2024 |
 | Israel | 97.8% | 98.7% | 96.8% | 2011 |
 | Qatar | 97.75% | 97.79% | 97.56% | 2014 |
 | Albania | 97.68% | 98.15% | 97.22% | 2023 |
 | Cuba | 97.65% | 99.03% | 96.35% | 2019 |
 | Singapore | 97.65% | 98.94% | 96.42% | 2021 |
 | Costa Rica | 97.41% | 97.31% | 94.12% | 2011 |
 | Oman | 97.34% | 98.62% | 94.86% | 2022 |
 | Turkey | 97.26% | 99.26% | 95.27% | 2021 |
 | Venezuela | 97.19% | 97.23% | 97.27% | 2017 |
 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 97% | 1980 | ||
 | American Samoa | 97% | 1980 | ||
 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 96.99% | 99.18% | 94.91% | 2013 |
 | Trinidad and Tobago | 96.94% | 98.01% | 93.83% | 1990 |
 | Aruba | 96.82% | 96.94% | 96.72% | 2010 |
 | China | 96.74% | 98.38% | 95.05% | 2020 |
 | Nauru | 96.59% | 93.37% | 99.72% | 2023 |
 | Macau | 96.54% | 98.19% | 95.03% | 2016 |
 | Kuwait | 96.46% | 97.05% | 95.35% | 2020 |
 | Chile | 96.4% | 96.48% | 96.33% | 2017 |
 | Ecuador | 96.26% | 96.85% | 95.72% | 2022 |
 | Panama | 96.26% | 97.29% | 95.95% | 2024 |
 | New Caledonia | 96.14% | 96.78% | 95.47% | 1996 |
 | Vietnam | 96.13% | 97.24% | 95.08% | 2022 |
 | North Macedonia | 96.13% | 98.21% | 97.78% | 2002 |
 | Brunei | 96.09% | 97.43% | 94.65% | 2011 |
 | Indonesia | 96% | 97.45% | 94.55% | 2020 |
 | Marshall Islands | 95.83% | 95.71% | 96.37% | 2021 |
 | Mexico | 95.77% | 96.44% | 95.17% | 2024 |
 | Malaysia | 95.77% | 96.82% | 94.67% | 2022 |
 | Bolivia | 95.55% | 97.77% | 93.5% | 2023 |
 | Colombia | 95.34% | 94.97% | 95.69% | 2024 |
 | Paraguay | 94.86% | 95.42% | 94.34% | 2024 |
 | Jordan | 94.85% | 97.46% | 92.31% | 2023 |
 | Brazil | 94.8% | 94.49% | 95.09% | 2024 |
 | Portugal | 94.48% | 96.29% | 92.86% | 2011 |
 | Syria | 94.42% | 97.17% | 91.82% | 2021 |
 | Mauritius | 94.33% | 96.3% | 92.84% | 2023 |
 | Dominican Republic | 94.03% | 93.6% | 94.43% | 2024 |
 | Seychelles | 93.95% | 93.46% | 94.45% | 2010 |
 | Greece | 93.91% | 96.07% | 91.85% | 2009 |
 | Peru | 93.66% | 97% | 90.65% | 2024 |
 | Myanmar | 93.55% | 94.68% | 92.72% | 2020 |
 | Malta | 93.31% | 91.79% | 94.79% | 2011 |
 | Zimbabwe | 93.23% | 93.07% | 93.36% | 2019 |
 | Suriname | 92.87% | 94.87% | 91% | 2012 |
 | Sri Lanka | 92.66% | 93.45% | 91.97% | 2023 |
 | Puerto Rico | 92.39% | 92.39% | 92.39% | 2017 |
 | Lebanon | 92.01% | 94.78% | 89.52% | 2019 |
 | South Africa | 91.15% | 91.5% | 90.83% | 2024 |
 | Thailand | 91.1% | 90.67% | 91.49% | 2022 |
 | Tonga | 91.05% | 83.82% | 97.58% | 2019 |
 | Libya | 91% | 96.7% | 85.6% | 2015 |
 | Eswatini | 90.75% | 91.11% | 90.41% | 2022 |
 | Lesotho | 90.45% | 83.15% | 96.63% | 2024 |
 | El Salvador | 89.77% | 91.62% | 88.25% | 2024 |
 | Iran | 88.92% | 92.76% | 85.1% | 2023 |
 | Gabon | 88.86% | 90.79% | 87.07% | 2021 |
 | Cape Verde | 88.47% | 92.9% | 84.12% | 2024 |
 | Equatorial Guinea | 88.31% | 94.84% | 81.62% | 2000 |
 | Honduras | 88.25% | 87.61% | 88.78% | 2024 |
 | Vanuatu | 87.96% | 87.73% | 88.18% | 2023 |
 | Belize | 87.88% | 87.88% | 87.88% | 2022 |
 | Namibia | 87.64% | 87.9% | 87.39% | 2023 |
 | Sao Tome and Principe | 87.44% | 92.5% | 82.75% | 2019 |
 | Nicaragua | 87.35% | 86.87% | 88.2% | 2014 |
 | Papua New Guinea | 87.14% | 90.5% | 61.55% | 2022 |
 | Tunisia | 86.25% | 92.69% | 80.07% | 2023 |
 | Guyana | 85.64% | 84.21% | 86.9% | 2020 |
 | Iraq | 84.06% | 90.31% | 77.75% | 2021 |
 | Kenya | 82.23% | 87.49% | 77.89% | 2000 |
 | Guatemala | 82.11% | 86.87% | 78.46% | 2024 |
 | Zambia | 82.04% | 87.21% | 77.19% | 2023 |
 | India | 81.7% | 88.31% | 74.86% | 2023 |
 | Botswana | 81.19% | 80.43% | 81.81% | 2003 |
 | Jamaica | 79.92% | 74.08% | 90.81% | 1999 |
 | Egypt | 79.46% | 85.29% | 73.3% | 2022 |
 | Uganda | 79.06% | 84.65% | 73.94% | 2021 |
 | Bangladesh | 79% | 81.39% | 76.54% | 2022 |
 | Rwanda | 78.76% | 81.03% | 76.7% | 2022 |
 | Tanzania | 78.21% | 84.25% | 73.13% | 2022 |
 | Solomon Islands | 76.6% | 83.7% | 1999 | |
 | Ghana | 76.49% | 81.33% | 72.14% | 2021 |
 | Republic of the Congo | 76.11% | 86.05% | 67.48% | 2005 |
 | Comoros | 75.83% | 79.89% | 72.25% | 2021 |
 | Laos | 75.64% | 85.13% | 66.73% | 2023 |
 | Algeria | 75.14% | 82.62% | 74.21% | 2008 |
 | Madagascar | 74.69% | 77.9% | 71.75% | 2021 |
 | Togo | 72.6% | 82.85% | 63.66% | 2022 |
 | Cameroon | 72.55% | 79.71% | 66.16% | 2018 |
 | Timor-Leste | 72.47% | 73.08% | 71.81% | 2022 |
 | Cambodia | 71.93% | 90.38% | 63.64% | 2021 |
 | Burundi | 71.41% | 78.17% | 66.24% | 2020 |
 | Nigeria | 70.41% | 78.43% | 62.42% | 2024 |
 | Malawi | 70.15% | 78.62% | 62.68% | 2020 |
 | Nepal | 68.71% | 79.75% | 59.41% | 2019 |
 | Haiti | 68.01% | 72.94% | 63.87% | 2017 |
 | Angola | 66.24% | 83.77% | 51.93% | 2015 |
 | DR Congo | 65.69% | 87.51% | 56.12% | 2020 |
 | Bhutan | 64.91% | 73.39% | 57% | 2022 |
 | Eritrea | 64.66% | 75.07% | 54.8% | 2008 |
 | Morocco | 64.26% | 75.44% | 53.37% | 2014 |
 | Guinea-Bissau | 63.93% | 77.32% | 52.16% | 2022 |
 | Mozambique | 61.68% | 74.12% | 50.93% | 2022 |
 | Ethiopia | 60.46% | 71.04% | 49.96% | 2022 |
 | Mauritania | 59.53% | 70.1% | 51.81% | 2020 |
 | Liberia | 59.4% | 72.54% | 47.78% | 2010 |
 | Pakistan | 58.86% | 69.14% | 48.52% | 2021 |
 | Somalia | 54.12% | 64.5% | 43.9% | 2022 |
 | Sudan | 53.52% | 59.8% | 46.7% | 2008 |
 | Gambia | 51.64% | 65.27% | 40.45% | 2021 |
 | Benin | 51.38% | 62.62% | 41.51% | 2022 |
 | Senegal | 50.36% | 61.47% | 41.5% | 2023 |
 | Ivory Coast | 50% | 68.03% | 40.26% | 2021 |
 | Sierra Leone | 43.58% | 54.6% | 33.94% | 2019 |
 | Central African Republic | 42.44% | 59.84% | 27.13% | 2019 |
 | Burkina Faso | 41.44% | 48.44% | 35.7% | 2023 |
 | Guinea | 39.62% | 54.43% | 27.69% | 2018 |
 | Afghanistan | 37.27% | 52.06% | 26.6% | 2021 |
 | Yemen | 37.09% | 56.72% | 54.13% | 1994 |
 | Niger | 35.61% | 47.89% | 25.69% | 2022 |
 | Mali | 35.47% | 46.18% | 25.74% | 2018 |
 | Chad | 30.63% | 44.52% | 18.64% | 2019 |
 | South Sudan | 26.83% | 34.84% | 19.19% | 2008 |
- Literacy rates display the % of adults ages 15 and above “who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.”
- Many countries, particularly in North America and Western Europe, utilize a more stringent definition of literacy. Those inculde include the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, France, and Germany.
Key Findings
Countries with the Highest Literacy Rates
-
Uzbekistan (100%), North Korea (100%), and Norway (100%) have the highest literacy rate.
-
The country with the highest literacy rate is: Uzbekistan (100%).
Countries with the Lowest Literacy Rates
-
The lowest literacy rates, often linked to ongoing development challenges, are typically found in lower-income countries such as Chad (30.63%) or South Sudan (26.83%).
-
Limited access to education, poverty, and underfunded school systems are key factors contributing to lower literacy levels.
-
In some regions, political instability and gender inequality further restrict access to education, especially for girls.
Where the United States Ranks
-
Ranking 37th globally, the United States sits in the middle of the distribution rather than among the highest-performing countries.
-
A key factor is the wide variation in literacy skills, with a significant share of adults lacking strong reading proficiency, which lowers the overall ranking.
The Gender Gap in Literacy Rates
-
Globally, literacy rates tend to be slightly higher among men than women, particularly in lower-income regions.
-
This gap is largely driven by unequal access to education, with girls in some countries facing barriers such as poverty, cultural norms, and limited schooling opportunities.
World Trend Line
Global Literacy Rate Trends
Global literacy rates have steadily increased over time as access to education has expanded worldwide. However, growth has slowed in recent years as many countries approach near-universal literacy while others continue to face structural challenges.
Literacy Rate
Comparison
Literacy rates vary significantly across countries, with higher-income nations generally achieving near-universal literacy, while lower-income regions may still face gaps due to limited access to education and resources.
Definitions & Methodology
Literacy Rate Literacy rates display the % of adults ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.
Last Updated: April 24, 2026
Sources
- Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) - World Bank
- Literacy - CIA World Factbook
- 4.6.2. Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes - UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
- Adult literacy rate - Our World in Data
- Countries with the highest literacy rate - US Career Institute
