Literacy Rate

Global Ranking

percentSource: IMF

Current Rank	Country	Value	Latest Reading	Previous Rank	Previous Value

1 ↑	North Korea	100	2008	154
1	Uzbekistan	100	2019	1	99.99
3 ↑	Ukraine	99.97	2012	14	99.43
4 ↓	Latvia	99.89	2018	2	99.9
4 ↑	Estonia	99.89	2011	5	99.77
6 ↑	Belarus	99.87	2019	10	99.62
7 ↑	Lithuania	99.82	2011	9	99.65
8 ↑	Tajikistan	99.8	2014	13	99.45
8 ↓	Azerbaijan	99.8	2019	3	99.79
10 ↓	Armenia	99.79	2020	6	99.74
11 ↓	Kazakhstan	99.78	2018	4	99.78
12 ↓	Russia	99.73	2018	8	99.68
13 ↑	Turkmenistan	99.7	2014	24	98.78
13 ↓	Slovenia	99.7	2014	7	99.7
15 ↓	Barbados	99.6	2014	11	99.6
16 ↑	Kyrgyzstan	99.59	2018	17	99.24
17 ↓	Georgia	99.56	2019	16	99.36
18 ↑	Serbia	99.48	2019	23	98.84
19 ↓	Tonga	99.41	2018	15	99.39
20 ↑	Moldova	99.36	2014	47	96.65
21 ↑	Mongolia	99.18	2020	31	98.42
22	Italy	99.16	2018	22	98.85
23 ↑	Croatia	99.13	2011	34	98.15
24 ↓	Samoa	99.1	2018	19	98.97
24 ↓	Hungary	99.1	2014	21	98.86
26 ↓	Argentina	99	2018	18	99.13
27 ↓	Antigua and Barbuda	98.95	2015	20	98.95
28 ↑	Montenegro	98.85	2018	30	98.44
29 ↓	Romania	98.84	2018	28	98.6
30 ↓	Poland	98.74	2008	25	98.74
31 ↑	Trinidad and Tobago	98.7	2010	37	97.9
31 ↓	Uruguay	98.7	2018	26	98.62
33 ↑	Cyprus	98.68	2011	46	96.8
34 ↓	Grenada	98.6	2014	28	98.6
35 ↑	Macedonia	98.36	2020	39	97.8
36 ↓	Bulgaria	98.35	2011	32	98.2
37 ↓	Spain	98.25	2016	35	98.14
38	Jordan	98.23	2018	38	97.89
39 ↑	Albania	98.14	2018	42	97.25
40 ↑	South Korea	97.97	2008	154
41	Greece	97.94	2018	41	97.37
42 ↓	Costa Rica	97.86	2018	40	97.41
43 ↑	Aruba	97.81	2018	45	96.82
44 ↑	New Caledonia	97.8	2014	49	96.14
45 ↓	Maldives	97.73	2016	27	98.61
46 ↑	Saudi Arabia	97.59	2020	58	95.33
47 ↑	United Arab Emirates	97.56	2019	80	90.03
48 ↓	Singapore	97.34	2018	43	97.2
49 ↑	Brunei	97.21	2018	50	96.09
50 ↓	Venezuela	97.13	2016	48	96.61
51 ↓	Bosnia and Herzegovina	96.99	2013	35	98.14
52 ↑	China	96.84	2018	60	95.12
53 ↓	Palau	96.59	2015	12	99.5
54 ↓	Macao	96.54	2016	53	95.64
55 ↓	Kuwait	96.46	2020	51	96.06
56 ↓	Chile	96.4	2017	44	96.87
57 ↓	Philippines	96.28	2019	33	98.18
58 ↓	Turkey	96.17	2016	54	95.6
59 ↑	Portugal	96.14	2018	62	94.48
60 ↓	Indonesia	96	2020	52	95.66
61 ↑	Seychelles	95.87	2018	65	93.95
62 ↑	Vietnam	95.75	2019	66	93.52
63 ↓	Panama	95.74	2019	56	95.41
64 ↓	Oman	95.65	2018	55	95.58
65 ↓	Colombia	95.64	2020	59	95.25
66 ↑	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	95.63	1970	154
67 ↓	Mexico	95.25	2020	57	95.38
68 ↑	Lebanon	95.07	2018	78	91.18
69 ↑	South Africa	95.02	2019	85	87.05
70 ↓	Malaysia	94.97	2019	61	94.85
71 ↓	Paraguay	94.54	2020	68	93.21
72 ↓	Malta	94.5	2018	67	93.31
72 ↓	Peru	94.5	2020	64	94.41
74 ↓	Suriname	94.38	2018	72	92.87
75 ↑	Equatorial Guinea	94.37	2010	82	88.31
76 ↓	Dominican Republic	93.78	2016	75	91.99
77 ↓	Thailand	93.77	2018	72	92.87
78 ↓	Ecuador	93.63	2020	74	92.83
79 ↓	Qatar	93.46	2017	70	93.15
80 ↓	Brazil	93.23	2018	71	93.08
81 ↓	Sao Tome and Principe	92.82	2018	79	90.14
82 ↓	Bolivia	92.46	2015	63	94.46
83 ↓	Puerto Rico	92.39	2017	76	91.97
84 ↓	Sri Lanka	92.25	2019	77	91.71
85 ↑	Israel	91.75	1983	154
86 ↓	Namibia	91.53	2018	83	88.27
87 ↓	Mauritius	91.33	2018	69	93.16
88 ↓	Bahrain	90.98	2010	86	86.55
89 ↑	Ivory Coast	89.89	2019	138	43.91
90 ↓	El Salvador	89.14	2019	81	89.01
91 ↑	Burma (Myanmar)	89.07	2019	110	75.55
92 ↓	Zimbabwe	88.69	2014	91	83.58
93 ↓	Honduras	88.51	2019	84	87.21
94 ↓	Swaziland	88.42	2018	93	83.1
95 ↑	Jamaica	88.1	2014	100	79.92
96 ↓	Vanuatu	87.51	2018	90	84.7
97 ↑	Botswana	86.82	2013	98	81.19
98 ↓	Cape Verde	86.79	2015	87	85.33
99 ↓	Zambia	86.75	2018	94	83.01
100 ↑	Libya	86.1	2004	107	76.5
101 ↓	Guyana	85.64	2014	88	84.99
102 ↓	Iraq	85.6	2017	92	83.3
103 ↓	Iran	85.54	2016	89	84.71
104 ↓	Gabon	84.67	2018	96	82.28
105 ↑	Laos	84.66	2015	129	58.29
106 ↓	Nicaragua	82.61	2015	105	78
107 ↓	Kenya	81.53	2018	102	78.73
108 ↑	Algeria	81.41	2018	111	75.14
109 ↓	Syria	80.84	2004	95	82.89
110 ↓	Guatemala	80.81	2018	97	81.29
111 ↓	Cambodia	80.53	2015	104	78.06
112 ↓	Republic of the Congo	80.3	2018	101	79.31
113 ↑	Ghana	79.04	2018	116	71.5
113 ↓	Tunisia	79.04	2014	99	80.22
115 ↓	Tanzania	77.89	2015	103	78.1
116 ↑	Cameroon	77.07	2018	117	71.29
117 ↓	Democratic Republic of the Congo	77.04	2016	112	75.02
118 ↑	Belize	76.9	2000	119	70.3
119 ↓	Madagascar	76.68	2018	115	71.57
120 ↓	Lesotho	76.64	2014	108	75.8
121 ↓	Solomon Islands	76.6	2009	106	76.6
122 ↑	Eritrea	76.57	2018	124	64.66
123 ↓	Uganda	76.53	2018	120	70.2
124 ↓	Bangladesh	74.91	2020	113	74.68
125 ↓	India	74.37	2018	121	69.3
126 ↓	Morocco	73.75	2018	109	75.59
127 ↓	Rwanda	73.22	2018	118	70.8
128 ↓	Egypt	71.17	2017	114	72.44
129 ↓	Burundi	68.38	2017	127	61.51
130 ↓	Nepal	67.91	2018	128	59.63
131 ↑	Bhutan	66.56	2017	133	55.32
132 ↓	Togo	66.54	2019	125	63.75
133 ↓	Angola	66.03	2014	122	67.41
134 ↓	Malawi	62.14	2015	123	65.15
135	Nigeria	62.02	2018	135	51.08
136 ↑	Haiti	61.69	2016	137	48.69
137 ↓	Papua New Guinea	61.6	2010	130	57.34
138 ↓	Sudan	60.7	2018	134	53.52
139 ↓	Mozambique	60.66	2017	132	56.04
140 ↓	Comoros	58.82	2018	136	49.2
141 ↓	Pakistan	58	2019	131	57.01
142 ↑	Yemen	54.1	2004	144	37.09
143 ↓	Mauritania	53.5	2017	126	62.07
144 ↓	Senegal	51.9	2017	139	43.53
145 ↓	Ethiopia	51.77	2017	143	39
146 ↓	Gambia	50.78	2015	141	41.95
147 ↓	Liberia	48.3	2017	140	42.94
148 ↓	Guinea-Bissau	45.58	2014	142	41.36
149	Sierra Leone	43.21	2018	149	32.43
150 ↓	Benin	42.36	2018	148	32.95
151 ↓	Guinea	39.62	2018	150	32
152 ↓	Burkina Faso	39.35	2018	147	34.6
153 ↓	Central African Republic	37.4	2018	145	36.75
154 ↓	Afghanistan	37.27	2021	151	31.45
155 ↓	Niger	35.05	2018	152	30.56
156 ↓	Mali	30.76	2020	146	35.47
157 ↓	Chad	22.31	2016	153	26
158 ↓	Somalia	5.4	1972	154

Definition of Literacy Rate

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.