Education
Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above)
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.
World Bank code: SE.ADT.LITR.ZS • Data available for 148 countries • Latest year: 2024
In , Georgia led Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) at 99.68.
The world median across 29 reporting countries was 94.03.
How "Education" indicators are measured
Education indicators come from UNESCO's Institute for Statistics, national ministries, and school censuses. Enrollment rates can exceed 100% when over-age children are still in school (repeating grades), so "net enrollment" — which counts only age-appropriate students — is often the more interpretable metric. Literacy data is updated infrequently in many countries.
Distribution — 2024
- Reporting
- 29 countries
- Median
- 94.03
- Mean
- 89.47
- 25th percentile
- 88.47
- 75th percentile
- 96.73
- Range
- 35.63 – 99.68
World at a Glance — 2024
Every reporting country, grouped by region, shaded by value (quintile).
Lighter = lower value · Darker = higher value. Hover a cell to see the country and value.
Highest Values — 2024
| # | Country | Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia Europe & Central Asia | 99.68 |
| 2 | Uruguay Latin America & Caribbean | 98.91 |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 98.81 |
| 4 | Mongolia East Asia & Pacific | 98.64 |
| 5 | West Bank and Gaza Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 97.94 |
| 6 | Saudi Arabia Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 97.93 |
| 7 | Bahrain Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 97.82 |
| 8 | Bolivia Latin America & Caribbean | 96.73 |
| 9 | Panama Latin America & Caribbean | 96.23 |
| 10 | Mexico Latin America & Caribbean | 95.55 |
Looking for a specific country? Only the top and bottom 10 appear here. See where every country ranks for Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above).
View complete rankings →Biggest Movers — Year over Year
Largest increases
- Honduras +1.3%
- Bolivia +1.2%
- United Arab Emirates +0.8%
- Brazil +0.2%
- Panama +0.1%
Largest decreases
- India -4.3%
- Uganda -4.3%
- Guatemala -1.1%
- Jordan -0.4%
- Dominican Republic -0.3%
By Income Group — Average
| Income group | Countries | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| High income | 5 | 97.94 |
| Upper middle income | 13 | 93.19 |
| Lower middle income | 9 | 86.77 |
| Low income | 2 | 56.34 |
By Region — Average
| Region | Countries | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia & Pacific | 1 | 98.64 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 1 | 99.68 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 13 | 93.36 |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 5 | 97.39 |
| South Asia | 2 | 85.45 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 7 | 74.99 |
Lowest Values — 2024
| # | Country | Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mali | 35.63 |
| 2 | Nigeria | 70.41 |
| 3 | Zambia | 71.77 |
| 4 | Uganda | 77.04 |
| 5 | India | 78.16 |
| 6 | Guatemala | 82.11 |
| 7 | Honduras | 88.25 |
| 8 | Cabo Verde | 88.47 |
| 9 | El Salvador | 89.77 |
| 10 | Lesotho | 90.45 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS), CC BY 4.0. Rankings show countries with available data for 2024.