Literacy Rates (Females) of the World

Rank (total)	Country	Literacy Rates (Females) (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
11	Barbados	99.7	2002 est.
11	Latvia	99.7	2000 census
11	Poland	99.7	2003 est.
11	Samoa	99.7	2003 est.
15	Lithuania	99.6	2001 census
15	Slovakia	99.6	2004
15	Slovenia	99.6
18	Belarus	99.4	1999 census
19	Hungary	99.3	2003 est.
19	Kazakhstan	99.3	1999 est.
21	Armenia	99.2	2001 census
21	Russia	99.2	2002 census
21	Tajikistan	99.2	2000 census
21	Ukraine	99.2	2001 census
25	Australia	99.0	2003 est.
25	Belgium	99.0	2003 est.
25	Bermuda	99.0	2005 est.
25	Canada	99.0	2003 est.
25	Czech Republic	99.0	2003 est.
25	Denmark	99.0	2003 est.
25	France	99.0	2003 est.
25	Germany	99.0	2003 est.
25	Great Britain & Northern Ireland	99.0	2003 est.
25	Guam	99.0	1990 est.
25	Iceland	99.0	2003 est.
25	Ireland	99.0	2003 est.
25	Japan	99.0	2002
25	Korea (North)	99.0
25	Monaco	99.0	2003 est.
25	Netherlands	99.0	2003 est.
25	New Zealand	99.0	2003 est.
25	Saint Pierre & Miquelon	99.0	1982 est.
25	Sweden	99.0	2003 est.
25	Switzerland	99.0	2003 est.
25	Tonga	99.0	1999 est.
25	United States of America	99.0	2003 est.
25	Uzbekistan	99.0	2003 est.
48	Moldova	98.6	2005 est.
49	Guyana	98.5	2003 est.
50	Uruguay	98.4	2003 est.
51	Albania	98.3	2001 census
51	Turkmenistan	98.3	1999 est.
53	Azerbaijan	98.2	1999 census
54	Kyrgyzstan	98.1	1999 census
55	Cayman Islands	98.0	1970 est.
55	French Polynesia	98.0	1977 est.
55	Italy	98.0	2001 census
55	Saint Helena	98.0	1987 est.
55	Trinidad & Tobago	98.0	2003 est.
55	Turks & Caicos Islands	98.0	1970 est.
61	Bulgaria	97.7	2001 census
62	Mongolia	97.5	2000 census
63	Argentina	97.2	2001 census
63	Spain	97.2	2003 est.
65	Aruba	97.1	2000 census
65	Croatia	97.1	2001 census
67	American Samoa	97.0	1980 est.
67	Montserrat	97.0	1970 est.
69	Netherlands Antilles	96.8	2003 est.
70	Korea (South)	96.6	2002
71	Bahamas	96.5	2003 est.
72	Maldives	96.4	2000 census
73	Cyprus	96.3	2001 census
73	Romania	96.3	2002 census
75	Northern Mariana Is.	96.0	1980 est.
75	Saint Vincent & the Grenadines	96.0	1970 est.
77	Israel	95.9	2004 est.
78	Chile	95.6	2002 census
79	New Caledonia	95.5	1996 census
80	Costa Rica	95.1	2000 census
81	Anguilla	95.0	1984 est.
81	Niue	95.0
81	San Marino	95.0
84	Lesotho	94.5	2003 est.
85	Bosnia & Herzegovina	94.4	2000 est.
85	Puerto Rico	94.4	2002 est.
87	Greece	94.2	2001 census
88	Macedonia	94.1	2002 census
88	Serbia	94.1	2003 census with Montenegro
90	Dominica	94.0	2003 est.
91	Marshall Islands	93.7	1999
92	Malta	93.6	2003 est.
93	Paraguay	93.0	2003 est.
94	Philippines	92.7	2000 census
94	Venezuela	92.7	2001 census
96	Seychelles	92.3	2002 census
97	Fiji Islands	91.9	2003 est.
98	Jamaica	91.6	2003 est.
99	Portugal	91.3	2003 est.
100	Panama	91.2	2000 census
101	Kuwait	91.0	2005 census
102	Colombia	90.7	2005 census
103	Saint Lucia	90.6	2001 est.
104	Thailand	90.5	2000 census
105	Brunei	90.2	2001 census
106	Palau	90.0	1980 est.
107	Ecuador	89.7	2001 census
108	Hong Kong	89.6	2002
108	Mexico	89.6	2004 est.
110	Peru	89.4	2007 census
111	Sri Lanka	89.1	2001 census
112	Brazil	88.8	2004 est.
113	Qatar	88.6	2004 census
113	Singapore	88.6	2000 census
115	Micronesia, Federated States of	88.0	1980 est.
115	Palestinian Territories	88.0	2004 est.
117	Macau	87.8	2001 census
118	Kosovo	87.5	2007 census
119	Dominican Republic	87.2	2002 census
119	Suriname	87.2	2004 census
119	Zimbabwe	87.2	2003 est.
122	Vietnam	86.9	2002 est.
123	Indonesia	86.8	2004 est.
124	China	86.5	2000 census
125	Myanmar	86.4	2006 est.
126	South Africa	85.7	2003 est.
127	Malaysia	85.4	2000 census
128	Jordan	84.7	2003 est.
129	Bahrain	83.6	2001 census
130	Namibia	83.5	2001 census
131	Lebanon	82.2	2003 est.
132	Botswana	81.8	2003 est.
133	United Arab Emirates	81.7	2003 est.
134	Swaziland	80.8	2003 est.
135	Bolivia	80.7	2001 census
136	Equatorial Guinea	80.5	2000 est.
136	Mauritius	80.5	2000 census
138	Honduras	80.2	2001 census
139	Kenya	79.7	2003 est.
140	Turkey	79.6	2004 est.
141	Congo (Republic)	78.4	2003 est.
142	Sao Tome and Principe	77.9	2001 census
143	El Salvador	77.7	2003 est.
144	Belize	77.1	2000 census
145	Zambia	74.8	2003 est.
146	Syria	73.6	2004 census
147	Oman	73.5	2003 census
148	Libya	72.0	2003 est.
149	Saudi Arabia	70.8	2003 est.
150	Iran	70.4	2002 est.
151	Cape Verde	69.2	2003 est.
152	Nicaragua	67.8	2003 est.
153	Tunisia	65.3	2004 census
154	Rwanda	64.7	2003 est.
155	Iraq	64.2	2000 est.
156	Cambodia	64.1	2004 est.
157	Guatemala	63.3	2002 census
158	Madagascar	62.5	2003 est.
159	Tanzania	62.2	2002 census
160	Laos	60.9	2001 est.
161	Nigeria	60.6	2003 est.
162	Algeria	60.1	2002 est.
163	Cameroon	59.8	2001 est.
164	Egypt	59.4	2005 est.
165	Djibouti	58.4	2003 est.
166	Uganda	57.7	2002 census
167	Angola	54.2	2001 est.
168	Congo (Dem. Rep.)	54.1	2001 est.
169	Gabon	53.3	1995 est.
170	Burundi	52.2	2000 est.
171	Haiti	51.2	2003 est.
172	Papua New Guinea	50.9	2000 census
173	Sudan	50.5	2003 est.
174	Wallis and Futuna	50.0	1969 est.
175	Ghana	49.8	2000 census
175	Malawi	49.8	2003 est.
177	Comoros	49.3	2003 est.
178	India	47.8	2001 census
179	Eritrea	47.6	2003 est.
180	Togo	46.9	2003 est.
181	Mauritania	43.4	2000 census
182	Liberia	41.6	2003 est.
183	Bangladesh	41.4	2001 census
184	Mali	39.6	2003 est.
184	Morocco	39.6	2004 census
186	Cote d'Ivoire	38.6	2000 est.
187	Pakistan	36.0	2005 est.
188	Ethiopia	35.1	2003 est.
189	Nepal	34.9	2001 census
190	Bhutan	34.0	2003 est.
191	Central African Republic	33.5	2000 est.
192	Gambia	32.8	2003 est.
193	Mozambique	32.7	2003 est.
194	Yemen	30.0	2003 est.
195	Senegal	29.2	2002 est.
196	Guinea-Bissau	27.4	2003 est.
197	Somalia	25.8	2001 est.
198	Sierra Leone	24.4	2004 est.
199	Benin	23.3	2002 census
200	Guinea	18.1	2003 est.
201	Burkina Faso	15.2	2003 est.
202	Niger	15.1	2005 est.
203	Chad	12.8	2000 est.
204	Afghanistan	12.6	2000 est.
	World	77.0	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 (2009-10-02)

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