Literacy Rate by Country

Analysis

Global Rankings

Rank	Country	Literacy Rate (%)	Date
1	Uzbekistan	100.0%	2019
2	Andorra	100.0%	2016
3	Ukraine	100.0%	2021
4	Belarus	99.9%	2019
5	Estonia	99.9%	2021
6	Latvia	99.9%	2021
7	San Marino	99.9%	2018
8	Kazakhstan	99.8%	2018
9	Lithuania	99.8%	2021
10	Poland	99.8%	2021
11	Armenia	99.8%	2020
12	Azerbaijan	99.8%	2019
13	Cuba	99.7%	2021
14	Russia	99.7%	2018
15	Kyrgyzstan	99.6%	2018
16	Moldova	99.6%	2021
17	Georgia	99.6%	2019
18	Serbia	99.5%	2019
19	Tonga	99.4%	2021
20	Croatia	99.4%	2021
21	Cyprus	99.4%	2021
22	Mongolia	99.2%	2020
23	Italy	99.2%	2018
24	Fiji	99.1%	2018
25	Samoa	99.1%	2021
26	Hungary	99.1%	2021
27	Montenegro	99.0%	2021
28	Argentina	99.0%	2018
29	Cayman Islands	98.9%	2021
30	Romania	98.9%	2021
31	Uruguay	98.8%	2019
32	Spain	98.6%	2020
33	Albania	98.4%	2021
34	Bulgaria	98.4%	2021
35	Macedonia	98.4%	2020
36	Jordan	98.4%	2021
37	Bosnia and Herzegovina	98.1%	2021
38	United Arab Emirates	98.1%	2021
39	Costa Rica	98.0%	2021
40	South Korea	98.0%	2019
41	Greece	97.9%	2018
42	Maldives	97.9%	2021
43	Aruba	97.8%	2018
44	Brunei	97.6%	2021
45	Saudi Arabia	97.6%	2020
46	Singapore	97.5%	2019
47	Bahrain	97.5%	2018
48	Venezuela	97.5%	2021
49	Macau	97.1%	2021
50	Chile	97.0%	2021
51	China	96.8%	2018
52	Turkey	96.7%	2019
53	Kuwait	96.5%	2020
54	Philippines	96.3%	2019
55	Indonesia	96.0%	2020
56	Seychelles	95.9%	2018
57	Portugal	95.9%	2021
58	Vietnam	95.8%	2019
59	Panama	95.7%	2019
60	Oman	95.7%	2018
61	Colombia	95.6%	2020
62	Dominican Republic	95.5%	2022
63	Mexico	95.2%	2020
64	Lebanon	95.1%	2018
65	South Africa	95.0%	2019
66	Malaysia	95.0%	2019
67	Suriname	95.0%	2021
68	Malta	94.9%	2021
69	Sao Tome and Principe	94.8%	2021
70	Brazil	94.7%	2022
71	Paraguay	94.5%	2020
72	Peru	94.5%	2020
73	Thailand	94.1%	2021
74	Ecuador	93.9%	2022
75	Qatar	93.5%	2017
76	Puerto Rico	92.4%	2021
77	Namibia	92.3%	2021
78	Sri Lanka	92.3%	2019
79	Mauritius	92.2%	2021
80	Cabo Verde	90.8%	2021
81	Cote d'Ivoire	89.9%	2019
82	Zimbabwe	89.7%	2021
83	Vanuatu	89.1%	2021
84	El Salvador	89.1%	2019
85	Burma	89.1%	2019
86	Guyana	88.8%	2021
87	Iran	88.7%	2021
88	Honduras	88.5%	2019
89	Swaziland	88.4%	2018
90	Laos	87.1%	2021
91	Zambia	86.7%	2018
92	Gabon	85.5%	2021
93	Cambodia	83.9%	2021
94	Guatemala	83.3%	2021
95	Tunisia	82.7%	2021
96	Kenya	82.6%	2021
97	Tanzania	81.8%	2021
98	Algeria	81.4%	2018
99	Lesotho	81.0%	2021
100	Republic of the Congo	80.6%	2021
101	Democratic Republic of the Congo	80.0%	2021
102	Ghana	79.0%	2018
103	Uganda	79.0%	2021
104	Madagascar	77.3%	2021
105	Cameroon	77.1%	2018
106	Eritrea	76.6%	2018
107	Morocco	75.9%	2021
108	Rwanda	75.9%	2021
109	Bangladesh	74.9%	2020
110	Burundi	74.7%	2021
111	India	74.4%	2018
112	Egypt	73.1%	2021
113	Nepal	71.2%	2021
114	Bhutan	70.9%	2021
115	Timor-Leste	68.1%	2018
116	Malawi	67.3%	2021
117	Mauritania	67.0%	2021
118	Togo	66.5%	2019
119	Mozambique	63.4%	2021
120	Comoros	62.0%	2021
121	Nigeria	62.0%	2018
122	Haiti	61.7%	2016
123	Sudan	60.7%	2018
124	Gambia	58.1%	2021
125	Pakistan	58.0%	2019
126	Senegal	56.3%	2021
127	Guinea-Bissau	52.9%	2021
128	Ethiopia	51.8%	2017
129	Iraq	50.1%	2018
130	Sierra Leone	48.6%	2022
131	Liberia	48.3%	2017
132	Burkina Faso	46.0%	2021
133	Benin	45.8%	2021
134	Guinea	45.3%	2021
135	Central African Republic	37.5%	2020
136	Niger	37.3%	2018
137	Afghanistan	37.3%	2021
138	Mali	35.5%	2018
139	Chad	26.8%	2021

The Power of Literacy in Societal Progress

Literacy is fundamental to personal empowerment and economic opportunity. High literacy rates are linked to better health, civic participation, and social stability. Low literacy can perpetuate cycles of poverty and limit access to information. Tracking literacy helps identify educational gaps and target interventions. Improving literacy is essential for sustainable development and equality.

Sources

Rankings are based on the most recent data available and may vary over time as new data is released. This list uses the latest available data from The World Factbook.