Global Literacy Rates and What They Mean
If you’ve found your way to this blog, chances are you’re at least moderately literate. But how often do you stop to think about this ability and what it means for your quality of life?
Literacy can impact everything from your job outlook, to your relationships, and even your health, yet many of us take this gift for granted.
And if you live in a highly literate country, you might not realize the far-reaching negative consequence of illiteracy that affect many poorer countries, but also pockets of highly developed ones.
In this post, we’ll take a look at global literacy rates, trends, and the impact illiteracy can have on a society.
Global Literacy
The good news is that 84% of the world’s adults are literate today. However, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, there are still 773 million illiterate adults worldwide, and approximately two-thirds of those are women.
Literacy rates are the lowest in South Asia, West Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. In Niger, for example, only 19% of adults are literate. The number is even lower for the country’s females, with just 11% of women able to read and write. Such gender disparities are unfortunately common in less developed countries.
The United States uses different standards to measure literacy, which is why we’ve created a separate post on literacy in America.
The Impact of Illiteracy
Regardless of which country you live in, illiteracy can have serious consequences on your overall quality of life. Here are just some of the ways this problem can impact health, quality of life, and more:
Health: Illiteracy makes it impossible to read or understand important health-related information, such as warning labels, instructions, and nutritional facts.
Employment: Although job markets differ by country, the chances of finding a good-paying, stable job without being able to read are slim. This often perpetuates a cycle of poverty, low education, and illiteracy in the next generation.
Society: Those who cannot read will have difficulty participating in elections, communicating with others, and contributing to society in general. There are also links between low literacy and higher crime rates, especially in areas where many people struggle to find jobs.
What Country Has the Highest Literacy Rate?
According to IndexMundi, these are the 50 most literate countries as of 2020:
| Country | Literacy Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Andorra | 100.00 |
| Greenland | 100.00 |
| North Korea | 100.00 |
| Uzbekistan | 100.00 |
| Latvia | 99.9 |
| Lithuania | 99.8 |
| Kazakhstan | 99.8 |
| Poland | 99.8 |
| Tajikistan | 99.8 |
| Cuba | 99.8 |
| Estonia | 99.8 |
| Azerbaijan | 99.8 |
| Belarus | 99.8 |
| Ukraine | 99.8 |
| Turkmenistan | 99.7 |
| Armenia | 99.7 |
| Russia | 99.7 |
| Slovenia | 99.7 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 99.6 |
| Barbados | 99.6 |
| Georgia | 99.4 |
| Moldova | 99.4 |
| Tonga | 99.4 |
| Croatia | 99.3 |
| Italy | 99.2 |
| Hungary | 99.1 |
| Fiji | 99.1 |
| Samoa | 99.1 |
| Czech Republic | 99.0 |
| Argentina | 99.0 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 99.0 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 99.0 |
| Cayman Islands | 98.9 |
| Romania | 98.8 |
| Montenegro | 98.8 |
| Uruguay | 98.7 |
| Grenada | 98.6 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 98.5 |
| Taiwan | 98.5 |
| Bulgaria | 98.4 |
| Mongolia | 98.4 |
| Spain | 98.4 |
| Serbia | 98.3 |
| Marshall Islands | 98.3 |
| Philippines | 98.2 |
| Jordan | 98.2 |
| Albania | 98.1 |
| South Korea | 98.0 |
| Costa Rica | 97.9 |
| Aruba | 97.8 |
It should be noted that the populations of the first two countries are extremely small. (Andorra is a small principality between France and Spain with a population of 77,142; Greenland is geographically larger, but has a population of just 56,225.)
North Korea’s data is self-reported and questionable, given the country’s history of presenting inaccurate statistics. It is also not a reliable indication of the quality of education, since literature is carefully censored by the state.
But other than these considerations, what factors influence a country’s literacy rate?
Factors that Impact Literacy Rates
According to research published in 2005, the main factors determining literacy are:
- school enrollment rates
- average years of schooling
- life expectancy at birth
The same research also shows that income “has a weak nonlinear effect, negatively affecting literacy until a threshold level of per-capita income of about $2,200 a year is reached, and positively affecting literacy thereafter.”
Population can also impact literacy rates in a negative way, if the available resources are few in comparison to the population. This is one factor attributed to India’s literacy rate of just over 74%.
Gender inequality is of course another factor that affects literacy rates, especially in countries where women are discouraged or even barred from seeking a higher education.
And since low literacy rates tend to correlate with poor economies, those who are educated will often emigrate to countries with greater opportunities, which naturally lowers the home country’s literacy rate.
Below are the 10 countries with the lowest literacy rates:
| Country | Literacy Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Sierra Leone | 43.2 |
| Afghanistan | 43.0 |
| Benin | 42.4 |
| Burkina Faso | 41.2 |
| Central African Republic | 37.4 |
| Mali | 35.5 |
| South Sudan | 34.5 |
| Guinea | 30.4 |
| Chad | 22.3 |
| Niger | 19.1 |
Historical Developments in Literacy
Although writing has been used to communicate since around 3,000 BC, it was still a skill limited to the educated, wealthy few until Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionized book production in the 1400s.
In Europe, one goal of the Enlightenment (a movement that dominated the 17th century) had been universal literacy, but it wasn’t until the 19th and 20th centuries that early-industrialized countries began to see literacy rates anywhere near universality.
In England, for example, two-thirds of men and about half of women were literate in England by 1840. By the end of the century, rates reached approximately three-quarters for both genders, as expanded education helped to close the gap.
A growing literacy rate actually preceded the Industrial Revolution, and also helped to improve living standards, since a generally educated public is often associated with economic growth, technological advancements, and innovation.
Meanwhile, in Latin America, literacy rates have dramatically increased, especially since the mid-20th century. For example, Bolivia had a literacy rate of in 44% in 1960, to 95% in 2015. Yet disparities persist even within the same region, where countries like Haiti, despite seeing significant growth from 16% in 1960, still lag behind their neighbors at 61% today.
The Importance of Reading
Literacy is important not just for individuals, but for the progress of society as a whole. Without it, we become more susceptible to dangerous misinformation, and it’s hard to think critically for ourselves.
Check out more of the many benefits of reading and learn how you can challenge yourself to read more books.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- What Is Media Literacy and Why Does It Matter?
- How to Teach Kids to Read: Tips, Resources, and Books for Getting Started
- How to Determine Reading Level and Find the Right Books for Your Child
- How to Read More Books: 16 Tips to Help You Reach Your Reading Goals
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