Literacy Rates of the World - statistics and charts as map, diagram and table

Rank (total)	Country	Literacy Rates (percent)	Date
1	Andorra	100.0
1	Finland	100.0	2000 est.
1	Georgia	100.0	2004 est.
1	Greenland	100.0	2001 est.
1	Liechtenstein	100.0
1	Luxembourg	100.0	2000 est.
1	Norway	100.0
1	Vatican City	100.0
9	Cuba	99.8	2002 census
9	Estonia	99.8	2000 census
9	Poland	99.8	2003 est.
12	Barbados	99.7	2002 est.
12	Latvia	99.7	2000 census
12	Samoa	99.7	2003 est.
12	Slovenia	99.7
16	Belarus	99.6	1999 census
16	Lithuania	99.6	2001 census
16	Slovakia	99.6	2001 est.
19	Kazakhstan	99.5	1999 est.
19	Tajikistan	99.5	2000 census
21	Armenia	99.4	2001 census
21	Hungary	99.4	2003 est.
21	Russia	99.4	2002 census
21	Ukraine	99.4	2001 census
25	Uzbekistan	99.3	2003 est.
26	Moldova	99.1	2005 est.
27	Australia	99.0	2003 est.
27	Belgium	99.0	2003 est.
27	Canada	99.0	2003 est.
27	Czech Republic	99.0	2003 est.
27	Denmark	99.0	2003 est.
27	France	99.0	2003 est.
27	Germany	99.0	2003 est.
27	Great Britain & Northern Ireland	99.0	2003 est.
27	Guam	99.0	1990 est.
27	Iceland	99.0	2003 est.
27	Ireland	99.0	2003 est.
27	Japan	99.0	2002
27	Korea (North)	99.0
27	Monaco	99.0	2003 est.
27	Netherlands	99.0	2003 est.
27	New Zealand	99.0	2003 est.
27	Saint Pierre & Miquelon	99.0	1982 est.
27	Sweden	99.0	2003 est.
27	Switzerland	99.0	2003 est.
27	United States of America	99.0	2003 est.
47	Tonga	98.9	1999 est.
48	Azerbaijan	98.8	1999 census
48	Guyana	98.8	2003 est.
48	Turkmenistan	98.8	1999 est.
51	Albania	98.7	2001 census
51	Kyrgyzstan	98.7	1999 census
53	Trinidad & Tobago	98.6	2003 est.
54	Italy	98.4	2001 census
55	Bulgaria	98.2	2001 census
56	Croatia	98.1	2001 census
57	Austria	98.0
57	Bermuda	98.0	2005 est.
57	Cayman Islands	98.0	1970 est.
57	French Polynesia	98.0	1977 est.
57	Turks & Caicos Islands	98.0	1970 est.
57	Uruguay	98.0	2003 est.
63	Korea (South)	97.9	2002
63	Spain	97.9	2003 est.
65	British Virgin Islands	97.8	1991 est.
65	Mongolia	97.8	2000 census
65	Saint Kitts & Nevis	97.8	2003 est.
68	Cyprus	97.6	2001 census
69	Aruba	97.3	2000 census
69	Romania	97.3	2002 census
71	Argentina	97.2	2001 census
72	Israel	97.1	2004 est.
73	American Samoa	97.0	1980 est.
73	Montserrat	97.0	1970 est.
73	Northern Mariana Is.	97.0	1980 est.
73	Saint Helena	97.0	1987 est.
77	Bosnia & Herzegovina	96.7	2000 est.
77	Netherlands Antilles	96.7	2003 est.
79	Serbia	96.4	2003 census with Montenegro
80	Maldives	96.3	2000 census
81	New Caledonia	96.2	1996 census
82	Macedonia	96.1	2002 census
82	Taiwan (Rep. of China)	96.1	2003
84	Greece	96.0	2001 census
84	Grenada	96.0	2003 est.
84	Saint Vincent & the Grenadines	96.0	1970 est.
84	San Marino	96.0
88	Chile	95.7	2002 census
89	Bahamas	95.6	2003 est.
90	Anguilla	95.0	1984 est.
90	Cook Islands	95.0
90	Niue	95.0
93	Costa Rica	94.9	2000 census
94	Puerto Rico	94.1	2002 est.
95	Dominica	94.0	2003 est.
95	Paraguay	94.0	2003 est.
97	Fiji Islands	93.7	2003 est.
97	Marshall Islands	93.7	1999
99	Hong Kong	93.5	2002
100	Kuwait	93.3	2005 census
100	Portugal	93.3	2003 est.
102	Venezuela	93.0	2001 census
103	Colombia	92.8	2004 est.
103	Malta	92.8	2003 est.
105	Brunei	92.7	2001 census
106	Philippines	92.6	2000 census
106	Thailand	92.6	2000 census
108	Singapore	92.5	2000 census
108	Virgin Islands of the US	92.5	2005 est.
110	Palestinian Territories	92.4	2004 est.
111	Palau	92.0	1980 est.
112	Panama	91.9	2000 census
113	Seychelles	91.8	2002 census
114	Macau	91.3	2001 census
115	Ecuador	91.0	2001 census
115	Mexico	91.0	2004 est.
117	China	90.9	2000 census
118	Sri Lanka	90.7	2001 census
118	Zimbabwe	90.7	2003 est.
120	Indonesia	90.4	2004 est.
121	Vietnam	90.3	2002 est.
122	Saint Lucia	90.1	2001 est.
123	Jordan	89.9	2003 est.
123	Myanmar	89.9	2006 est.
125	Suriname	89.6	2004 census
126	Micronesia, Federated States of	89.0	1980 est.
126	Qatar	89.0	2004 census
128	Malaysia	88.7	2000 census
129	Brazil	88.6	2004 est.
130	Jamaica	87.9	2003 est.
131	Peru	87.7	2004 est.
132	Lebanon	87.4	2003 est.
132	Turkey	87.4	2004 est.
134	Dominican Republic	87.0	2002 census
134	Equatorial Guinea	87.0	2000 est.
136	Bolivia	86.7	2001 census
137	Bahrain	86.5	2001 census
138	South Africa	86.4	2003 est.
139	Antigua & Barbuda	85.8	2003 est.
140	Kenya	85.1	2003 est.
141	Namibia	85.0	2001 census
142	Sao Tome and Principe	84.9	2001 census
143	Lesotho	84.8	2003 est.
144	Mauritius	84.4	2000 census
145	Congo (Republic)	83.8	2003 est.
146	Libya	82.6	2003 est.
147	Swaziland	81.6	2003 est.
148	Oman	81.4	2003 census
149	Botswana	81.2	2003 est.
150	Zambia	80.6	2003 est.
151	El Salvador	80.2	2003 est.
152	Honduras	80.0	2001 census
153	Syria	79.6	2004 census
154	Saudi Arabia	78.8	2003 est.
155	United Arab Emirates	77.9	2003 est.
156	Iran	77.0	2002 est.
157	Belize	76.9	2000 census
158	Cape Verde	76.6	2003 est.
159	Tunisia	74.3	2004 census
160	Iraq	74.1	2000 est.
161	Vanuatu	74.0	1999 census
162	Cambodia	73.6	2004 est.
163	Egypt	71.4	2005 est.
164	Rwanda	70.4	2003 est.
165	Algeria	69.9	2002 est.
166	Tanzania	69.4	2002 census
167	Guatemala	69.1	2002 census
168	Madagascar	68.9	2003 est.
169	Laos	68.7	2001 est.
170	Nigeria	68.0	2003 est.
171	Cameroon	67.9	2001 est.
171	Djibouti	67.9	2003 est.
173	Nicaragua	67.5	2003 est.
174	Angola	67.4	2001 est.
175	Uganda	66.8	2002 census
176	Gabon	63.2	1995 est.
177	Malawi	62.7	2003 est.
178	Sudan	61.1	2003 est.
179	India	61.0	2001 census
180	Togo	60.9	2003 est.
181	Burundi	59.3	2000 est.
182	East Timor	58.6	2002
182	Eritrea	58.6	2003 est.
184	Ghana	57.9	2000 census
185	Liberia	57.5	2003 est.
186	Papua New Guinea	57.3	2000 census
187	Comoros	56.5	2003 est.
188	Congo (Dem. Rep.)	54.1	2000 est.
189	Haiti	52.9	2003 est.
190	Morocco	52.3	2004 census
191	Mauritania	51.2	2000 census
192	Yemen	50.2	2003 est.
193	Wallis and Futuna	50.0	1969 est.
194	Pakistan	49.9	2005 est.
195	Cote d'Ivoire	48.7	2000 est.
196	Central African Republic	48.6	2000 est.
196	Nepal	48.6	2001 census
198	Mozambique	47.8	2003 est.
199	Bhutan	47.0	2003 est.
200	Mali	46.4	2003 est.
201	Bangladesh	43.1	2003 est.
202	Ethiopia	42.7	2003 est.
203	Guinea-Bissau	42.4	2003 est.
204	Gambia	40.1	2003 est.
205	Senegal	39.3	2002 est.
206	Somalia	37.8	2001 est.
207	Sierra Leone	35.1	2004 est.
208	Benin	34.7	2002 census
209	Guinea	29.5	2003 est.
210	Niger	28.7	2005 est.
211	Afghanistan	28.1	2000 est.
212	Chad	25.7	2000 est.
213	Burkina Faso	21.8	2003 est.
	World	82.0	2005 est.

For non-listed countries is no information available.

There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Most presented rates are based on the ability to read and write at a specified age. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons. Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world.

Source: CIA World Factbook (2008-07-24)

(c) Thomas Brinkhoff, 2008-07-27

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