Last update: Dec 2007
Country or area
Year
Women
Men
Women
Men
Afghanistan 2000
13
43
18
51
Albania 2001
98
99
99
99
Algeria 2002
60
80
86
94
Angola 2001
54
83
63
84
Argentina 2001
97
97
99
99
Armenia 2001
99
100
100
100
Aruba 2000
97
98
99
99
Azerbaijan 1999
98
99
100
100
Bahrain 2001
84
89
97
97
Bangladesh 2001
41
54
60
67
Belarus 1999
99
100
100
100
Benin 2002
23
48
33
59
Bolivia 2001
81
93
96
99
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2000
94
99
100
100
Botswana 2003
82
80
96
92
Brazil 2004
89
88
98
96
Brunei Darussalam 2001
90
95
99
99
Bulgaria 2001
98
99
98
98
Burkina Faso 2005
17
31
26
40
Burundi 2000
52
67
70
77
Cambodia 2004
64
85
79
88
Cameroon 2001
60
77
…
…
Cape Verde 2004 a
76
88
97
96
Central African Republic 2000
33
65
47
70
Chad 2000
13
41
23
56
Chile 2002
96
96
99
99
China 2000
87
95
99
99
Colombia 2005
93
93
98
98
Congo 2004 a
79
91
97
98
Costa Rica 2000
95
95
98
97
Côte d'Ivoire 2000
39
61
52
71
Croatia 2001
97
99
100
100
Cuba 2002
100
100
100
100
Cyprus 2001
95
99
100
100
Democratic Republic of the Congo 2001
54
81
63
78
Dominican Republic 2002
87
87
95
93
Ecuador 2001
90
92
96
96
Egypt 2005
59
83
79
90
El Salvador 2004 a
79
82
90
87
Equatorial Guinea 2000
80
93
95
95
Estonia 2000
100
100
100
100
Ethiopia 2004
23
50
39
62
Gabon 2004 a
80
88
95
97
Ghana 2000
50
66
65
76
Greece 2001
94
98
99
99
Guatemala 2002
63
75
78
86
Guinea 2003
18
43
34
59
Honduras 2001
80
80
91
87
India 2001
48
73
68
84
Indonesia 2004
87
94
99
99
Iran, Islamic Republic of 2005
77
88
97
98
Iraq 2000
64
84
80
89
Italy 2001
98
99
100
100
Jamaica 1999
86
74
…
…
Jordan 2005
87
95
99
99
Kazakhstan 1999
99
100
100
100
Kenya 2000
70
78
81
80
Kuwait 2005
91
94
100
100
Kyrgyzstan 1999
98
99
100
100
Lao People's Democratic Republic 2001
61
77
75
83
Latvia 2000
100
100
100
100
Lesotho 2001
90
74
…
…
Liberia 2004 a
46
58
69
65
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 2004 a
75
93
96
100
Lithuania 2001
100
100
100
100
Macao, China 2001
88
95
100
99
Madagascar 2000
65
77
68
73
Malaysia 2000
85
92
97
97
Maldives 2000
96
96
98
98
Mali 2003
16
33
…
…
Mauritania 2000
43
60
55
68
Mauritius 2000
81
88
95
94
Mexico 2005
90
93
98
98
Mongolia 2000
98
98
98
97
Montenegro 2002 b
94
99
99
99
Morocco 2004
40
66
60
81
Myanmar 2000
86
94
93
96
Namibia 2001
83
87
93
91
Nepal 2001
35
63
60
81
Netherlands Antilles 2004 a
96
96
98
98
Nicaragua 2001
77
77
89
84
Niger 2005
15
43
23
52
Nigeria 2004 a
60
78
81
87
Oman 2003
74
87
97
98
Pakistan 2005
35
64
53
77
Palestinian Autonomous Territories 2004
88
97
99
99
Panama 2000
91
93
96
97
Papua New Guinea 2000
51
63
64
69
Paraguay 2004 a
93
94
96
96
Peru 2005
82
94
96
98
Philippines 2003
94
92
97
94
Portugal 2004 a
92
96
100
100
Qatar 2004
89
89
98
95
Republic of Moldova 2004 a
99
100
100
100
Romania 2002
96
98
98
98
Russian Federation 2002
99
100
100
100
Rwanda 2000
60
71
77
79
Samoa 2004 a
98
99
99
99
Sao Tome and Principe 2001
78
92
95
96
Saudi Arabia 2004
76
88
95
97
Senegal 2002
29
51
41
58
Serbia 2002 b
94
99
99
99
Seychelles 2002
92
91
99
99
Sierra Leone 2004
24
47
37
60
Slovenia 2004 a
100
100
100
100
Sri Lanka 2001
89
92
96
95
Sudan 2000
52
71
71
85
Suriname 2004
87
92
94
96
Swaziland 2000
78
81
90
87
Syrian Arab Republic 2004
74
88
90
95
Tajikistan 2000
99
100
100
100
Thailand 2000
91
95
98
98
The former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia 2002
94
98
98
99
Togo 2000
38
69
64
84
Trinidad and Tobago 2004 a
98
99
99
99
Tunisia 2004
65
83
92
96
Turkey 2004
80
95
93
98
Uganda 2002
58
77
71
83
Ukraine 2001
99
100
100
100
United Arab Emirates 2004 a
88
89
95
98
United Republic of Tanzania 2002
62
78
76
81
Venezuela 2001
93
93
98
96
Viet Nam 1999
87
94
94
94
Yemen 2004 a
35
73
59
91
Zambia 1999
60
76
66
73
Zimbabwe 2004 a
86
93
98
97

Sources:

UNESCO Institute for Statistics, National literacy rates for youths (15-24) and adults (15+), available from UIS website, http://www.uis.unesco.org (accessed October 2007).

Footnotes:

...
 Not available.
a
 UIS estimation.
b
 Data refer to Serbia and Montenegro.

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Technical notes:

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines a literate person as someone who can both read and write with understanding, a short, simple statement on his or her everyday life. A person who can only read but not write, or can write but not read is considered to be illiterate. A person who can only write figures, his or her name or a memorized ritual phrase is also not considered literate.

This definition of literacy is widely used in national population censuses and surveys but its interpretation and application may vary to some extent among countries, depending on national, social and cultural circumstances. Furthermore, this concept of literacy includes persons who, though familiar with the basics of reading and writing, might still be considered functionally illiterate.

For many countries or areas, literacy rates are not available for one or more of the following reasons: (a) illiteracy is believed to have been reduced to minimal levels through several decades of universal primary education, (b) it has not been possible to establish revised estimates following recent mass literacy campaigns, (c) not even a minimal database is available for making rough estimates, or (d) countries have preferred that no estimate be published.

 

(Source: United Nations Statistics Division)

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