Adult Literacy Rate by Country
Share of adults aged 15+ who can read and write (%). Data covers 86 countries for 2024, sourced from World Bank Open Data.
HighestTuvalu100
LowestNiger35.6
Average83.686 countries
Year2024latest available
💡 Global adult literacy has climbed above 85%, a huge rise over the past decades.
Top 10 countries
Adult Literacy Rate: full country ranking (2024)
| # | Country | Adult Literacy Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuvalu | 100 |
| 2 | Uzbekistan | 100 |
| 3 | Russian Federation | 99.9 |
| 4 | San Marino | 99.9 |
| 5 | Turkmenistan | 99.9 |
| 6 | Armenia | 99.8 |
| 7 | Azerbaijan | 99.8 |
| 8 | Spain | 99.7 |
| 9 | Georgia | 99.7 |
| 10 | Tonga | 99.5 |
| 11 | Serbia | 99.3 |
| 12 | Romania | 99.2 |
| 13 | Uruguay | 98.9 |
| 14 | United Arab Emirates | 98.8 |
| 15 | Mongolia | 98.6 |
| 16 | West Bank and Gaza | 97.9 |
| 17 | Saudi Arabia | 97.9 |
| 18 | Bahrain | 97.8 |
| 19 | Albania | 97.7 |
| 20 | Singapore | 97.7 |
| 21 | Oman | 97.3 |
| 22 | Turkiye | 97.3 |
| 23 | Bolivia | 96.7 |
| 24 | Nauru | 96.6 |
| 25 | Panama | 96.2 |
| 26 | Viet Nam | 96.1 |
| 27 | Malaysia | 95.8 |
| 28 | Marshall Islands | 95.8 |
| 29 | Mexico | 95.6 |
| 30 | Colombia | 95.3 |
| 31 | Paraguay | 94.9 |
| 32 | Brazil | 94.7 |
| 33 | Jordan | 94.4 |
| 34 | Syrian Arab Republic | 94.4 |
| 35 | Mauritius | 94.3 |
| 36 | Dominican Republic | 94 |
| 37 | Peru | 93.7 |
| 38 | Ecuador | 93.5 |
| 39 | Sri Lanka | 92.7 |
| 40 | South Africa | 91.2 |
| 41 | Thailand | 91.1 |
| 42 | Eswatini | 90.8 |
| 43 | Lesotho | 90.4 |
| 44 | El Salvador | 89.8 |
| 45 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 88.9 |
| 46 | Gabon | 88.9 |
| 47 | Cabo Verde | 88.5 |
| 48 | Honduras | 88.3 |
| 49 | Vanuatu | 88 |
| 50 | Belize | 87.9 |
| 51 | Namibia | 87.6 |
| 52 | Papua New Guinea | 87 |
| 53 | Tunisia | 86.3 |
| 54 | Iraq | 84.1 |
| 55 | Guatemala | 82.1 |
| 56 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 79.5 |
| 57 | Bangladesh | 79 |
| 58 | Rwanda | 78.8 |
| 59 | Tanzania | 78.2 |
| 60 | India | 78.2 |
| 61 | Uganda | 77 |
| 62 | Ghana | 76.5 |
| 63 | Lao PDR | 75.6 |
| 64 | Comoros | 75.6 |
| 65 | Madagascar | 74.7 |
| 66 | Togo | 72.6 |
| 67 | Cambodia | 71.9 |
| 68 | Zambia | 71.8 |
| 69 | Nigeria | 70.4 |
| 70 | Timor-Leste | 69.4 |
| 71 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 68.5 |
| 72 | Angola | 68.2 |
| 73 | Bhutan | 64.9 |
| 74 | Guinea-Bissau | 63.9 |
| 75 | Mozambique | 61.7 |
| 76 | Ethiopia | 60.5 |
| 77 | Pakistan | 58.9 |
| 78 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 54.1 |
| 79 | Gambia, The | 51.6 |
| 80 | Benin | 51.4 |
| 81 | Senegal | 50.4 |
| 82 | Cote d'Ivoire | 50 |
| 83 | Burkina Faso | 41.6 |
| 84 | Afghanistan | 37.3 |
| 85 | Mali | 35.6 |
| 86 | Niger | 35.6 |
Source: World Bank Open Data. Latest available year: 2024. Values shown are the most recent reported figure per country.