Social indicators

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Indicators on literacy
Last update: July 2008
Country or area
Year
Total
Men
Women
Total
Men
Women
Afghanistan
2000
  
28
43
13
34
51
18
Albania
2007
 a
99
99
99
99
99
99
Algeria
2007
 a
75
84
66
92
94
91
Angola
2001
  
67
83
54
72
84
63
Argentina
2007
 a
98
98
98
99
99
99
Armenia
2007
 a
99
100
99
100
100
100
Aruba
2007
 a
98
98
98
99
99
99
Azerbaijan
2007
 a
99
100
99
100
100
100
Bahrain
2007
 a
89
90
86
100
100
100
Bangladesh
2007
 a
53
59
48
72
71
73
Belarus
2007
 a
100
100
100
100
100
100
Benin
2007
 a
41
53
28
52
63
41
Bhutan
2007
 a
56
67
42
78
83
73
Bolivia
2007
 a
90
95
85
98
99
98
Bosnia and Herzegovina
2000
  
97
99
94
100
100
100
Botswana
2007
 a
83
83
83
94
93
95
Brazil
2007
 a
91
90
91
98
97
99
Brunei Darussalam
2007
 a
95
96
93
100
100
100
Bulgaria
2007
 a
98
99
98
97
98
97
Burkina Faso
2007
  
29
37
22
39
47
33
Burundi
2000
  
59
67
52
73
77
70
Cambodia
2007
 a
76
86
68
86
90
83
Cameroon
2001
  
68
77
60
...
...
...
Cape Verde
2007
 a
84
89
79
97
97
98
Central African Republic
2000
  
49
65
33
59
70
47
Chad
2000
  
26
41
13
38
56
23
Chile
2007
 a
97
97
96
99
99
99
China
2007
 a
93
96
90
99
99
99
Colombia
2007
 a
94
94
93
98
98
98
Comoros
2007
 a
75
80
70
89
92
87
Congo
2007
 a
87
92
82
98
99
98
Costa Rica
2007
 a
96
96
96
98
98
98
Côte d'Ivoire
2000
  
49
61
39
61
71
52
Croatia
2007
 a
99
99
98
100
100
100
Cuba
2007
 a
100
100
100
100
100
100
Cyprus
2007
 a
98
99
97
100
100
100
Democratic Republic of the Congo
2001
  
67
81
54
70
78
63
Dominican Republic
2007
 a
89
89
90
96
95
97
Ecuador
2007
 a
93
94
92
96
96
97
Egypt
2007
 a
72
84
61
86
90
82
El Salvador
2007
 a
85
88
83
95
95
96
Equatorial Guinea
2000
  
87
93
80
95
95
95
Estonia
2007
 a
100
100
100
100
100
100
Ethiopia
2004
  
36
50
23
50
62
39
Gabon
2007
 a
86
90
82
97
98
96
Ghana
2007
 a
65
72
58
78
80
76
Greece
2007
 a
97
98
96
99
99
99
Guatemala
2007
 a
73
79
68
85
88
83
Guinea-Bissau
2007
 a
65
75
54
91
94
87
Guinea
2003
  
29
43
18
47
59
34
Haiti
2007
 a
62
60
64
82
76
87
Honduras
2007
 a
83
82
84
90
88
93
Hungary
2007
 a
99
99
99
99
98
99
India
2007
 a
66
77
54
82
87
77
Indonesia
2007
 a
91
95
88
99
99
99
Iran, Islamic Republic of
2007
 a
85
90
79
98
98
97
Iraq
2000
  
74
84
64
85
89
80
Italy
2007
 a
99
99
99
100
100
100
Jamaica
2007
 a
86
81
91
94
91
98
Jordan
2007
 a
93
97
89
99
99
99
Kazakhstan
2007
 a
100
100
99
100
100
100
Kenya
2000
  
74
78
70
80
80
81
Kuwait
2007
 a
94
95
92
100
100
100
Kyrgyzstan
2007
 a
99
100
99
100
100
100
Lao People's Democratic Republic
2007
 a
73
80
67
83
85
80
Latvia
2007
 a
100
100
100
100
100
100
Lesotho
2001
  
82
74
90
...
...
...
Liberia
2007
 a
56
60
51
72
68
76
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
2007
 a
87
94
78
99
100
98
Lithuania
2007
 a
100
100
100
100
100
100
Macao, China
2007
 a
93
96
90
100
100
100
Madagascar
2000
  
71
77
65
70
73
68
Malawi
2007
 a
72
79
65
83
84
82
Malaysia
2007
 a
92
94
90
98
98
98
Maldives
2007
 a
97
97
97
98
98
98
Mali
2007
 a
23
31
16
29
36
23
Malta
2007
 a
92
90
93
98
96
99
Mauritania
2007
 a
56
63
48
66
70
62
Mauritius
2007
 a
87
90
85
96
95
97
Mexico
2007
 a
92
94
91
98
98
98
Mongolia
2007
 a
97
97
98
95
94
97
Morocco
2007
 a
56
69
43
75
84
67
Mozambique
2007
 a
44
57
33
53
58
47
Myanmar
2000
  
90
94
86
95
96
93
Namibia
2007
 a
88
89
87
93
91
94
Nepal
2007
 a
57
70
44
79
85
73
Netherlands Antilles
2007
 a
96
96
96
98
98
98
Nicaragua
2007
 a
81
80
81
89
85
92
Niger
2007
 a
30
44
16
39
53
26
Nigeria
2007
 a
72
80
64
87
89
85
Oman
2007
 a
84
89
77
98
99
98
Pakistan
2007
 a
55
69
40
70
79
60
Palestinian Autonomous Territories
2007
 a
93
97
89
99
99
99
Panama
2007
 a
93
94
93
96
97
96
Papua New Guinea
2007
 a
58
62
53
64
63
65
Paraguay
2007
 a
94
94
93
96
96
97
Peru
2007
 a
90
95
86
98
99
97
Philippines
2007
 a
93
93
94
94
94
95
Poland
2007
 a
99
100
99
99
100
99
Portugal
2007
 a
95
97
93
100
100
100
Qatar
2007
 a
90
90
90
98
97
98
Republic of Moldova
2007
 a
99
100
99
100
100
100
Romania
2007
 a
98
98
97
97
97
98
Russian Federation
2007
 a
100
100
99
100
100
100
Rwanda
2000
  
65
71
60
78
79
77
Samoa
2007
 a
99
99
98
99
99
99
Sao Tome and Principe
2007
 a
88
93
83
95
95
95
Saudi Arabia
2007
 a
85
89
79
97
98
96
Senegal
2007
 a
43
53
32
51
59
44
Seychelles
2002
  
92
91
92
99
99
99
Sierra Leone
2007
 a
38
50
27
54
64
44
Singapore
2007
 a
94
97
92
100
100
100
Slovenia
2007
 a
100
100
100
100
100
100
South Africa
2007
 a
88
89
87
95
95
96
Spain
2007
 a
97
99
96
100
100
100
Sri Lanka
2007
 a
92
93
90
98
97
98
Sudan
2000
  
61
71
52
77
85
71
Suriname
2007
 a
90
93
88
95
96
95
Swaziland
2000
  
80
81
78
88
87
90
Syrian Arab Republic
2007
 a
83
90
76
94
95
92
Tajikistan
2007
 a
100
100
100
100
100
100
Thailand
2007
 a
94
96
93
98
98
98
The Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia
2007
 a
97
99
95
99
99
99
Togo
2000
  
53
69
38
74
84
64
Tonga
2007
 a
99
99
99
100
100
100
Trinidad and Tobago
2007
 a
99
99
98
100
100
100
Tunisia
2007
 a
78
86
69
96
97
94
Turkey
2007
 a
89
96
81
96
98
94
Turkmenistan
2007
 a
100
100
99
100
100
100
Uganda
2007
 a
74
82
66
86
88
84
Ukraine
2007
 a
100
100
100
100
100
100
United Arab Emirates
2007
 a
90
91
89
98
99
96
United Republic of Tanzania
2007
 a
72
79
66
78
79
76
Uruguay
2007
 a
98
98
98
99
98
99
Uzbekistan
2000
  
97
98
96
99
99
99
Vanuatu
2007
 a
78
80
76
92
92
92
Venezuela
2001
  
93
93
93
97
96
98
Yemen
2007
 a
59
77
40
80
93
67
Zimbabwe
2007
 a
91
94
88
98
98
99

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 June 2008).

Footnotes:

...
 Not available.
a
 UIS estimation.

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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.