Rwanda: Literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI)

Key figures

Since 1978 it is up 40% from 0.75 in 1978 (0.77% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 35 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

How it compares

In 2022, Rwanda had the 2nd highest value of the 12 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Rwanda in the 2022 ranking

• Bangladesh — 2nd of 12: 1.02
• Indonesia — 3rd of 12: 1.02
• Chile — 4th of 12: 1

What this measures

Gender parity index for youth literacy rate is the ratio of females to males ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.

Limitations: In practice, literacy is difficult to measure. Estimating literacy rates requires census or survey measurements under controlled conditions. Many countries report the number of literate people from self-reported data. Some use educational attainment data as a proxy but apply different lengths of school attendance or levels of completion. And there is a trend among recent national and international surveys toward using a direct reading test of literacy skills. Because definitions and methods of data collection differ across countries, data should be used cautiously.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 10 values

Literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI) in nearby economies

• Benin — 0.91 (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 0.93 (2022)
• Ethiopia — 0.92 (2022)
• Senegal — 0.95 (2023)
• South Africa — 1.02 (2024)
• Togo — 0.94 (2022)
• Uganda — 1.02 (2024)

More education data for Rwanda

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 3.01 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 149.57% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 146.68% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 152.46% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 68,326 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Rwanda's literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI)?

1.05 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1978?

It is up 40% from 0.75 in 1978 (0.77% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.05 in 2018 and the lowest 0.75 in 1978.

How does Rwanda rank?

2nd highest of 12 economies with data for 2022.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.ADT.1524.LT.FM.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.