Of the economies in the World Bank's latest release, Philippines has the highest literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) (100% in 2022) and Burkina Faso the lowest (65.47% in 2022). The world figure is 94.13% (2024).
What this measures
Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people 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.
Each country's latest available year is shown; countries report on different schedules, so compare years before comparing values.
Ranking
| # | Economy | Latest value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philippines | 100% | 2022 |
| 2 | West Bank and Gaza | 99.94% | 2024 |
| 3 | Armenia | 99.91% | 2023 |
| 4 | Azerbaijan | 99.88% | 2023 |
| 5 | Singapore | 99.87% | 2021 |
| 6 | Bolivia | 99.85% | 2024 |
| 7 | Spain | 99.71% | 2021 |
| 8 | Panama | 99.62% | 2024 |
| 9 | Georgia | 99.56% | 2024 |
| 10 | Peru | 99.4% | 2024 |
| 11 | Brazil | 99.24% | 2024 |
| 12 | Chile | 99.1% | 2022 |
| 13 | Kuwait | 99.1% | 2020 |
| 14 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 98.85% | 2023 |
| 15 | Uruguay | 98.85% | 2024 |
| 16 | Ecuador | 98.8% | 2024 |
| 17 | Mexico | 98.79% | 2024 |
| 18 | Sri Lanka | 98.7% | 2024 |
| 19 | Maldives | 98.62% | 2019 |
| 20 | Paraguay | 98.61% | 2024 |
| 21 | Jordan | 98.48% | 2024 |
| 22 | Colombia | 98.42% | 2024 |
| 23 | Venezuela, RB | 98.37% | 2017 |
| 24 | Tunisia | 98.19% | 2023 |
| 25 | India | 97.99% | 2024 |
| 26 | Thailand | 97.94% | 2022 |
| 27 | El Salvador | 97.87% | 2024 |
| 28 | Dominican Republic | 97.65% | 2024 |
| 29 | South Africa | 96.34% | 2024 |
| 30 | Cambodia | 95.89% | 2023 |
| 31 | Guatemala | 95.7% | 2024 |
| 32 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 95.51% | 2022 |
| 33 | Honduras | 94.83% | 2024 |
| 34 | Togo | 93.33% | 2022 |
| 35 | Indonesia | 92.91% | 2022 |
| 36 | Türkiye | 92.57% | 2022 |
| 37 | Bangladesh | 92.39% | 2022 |
| 38 | Ethiopia | 88.42% | 2022 |
| 39 | Rwanda | 87.51% | 2022 |
| 40 | Uganda | 84.27% | 2024 |
| 41 | Pakistan | 79.46% | 2021 |
| 42 | Zambia | 79.31% | 2024 |
| 43 | Benin | 74.6% | 2022 |
| 44 | Senegal | 69.27% | 2023 |
| 45 | Burkina Faso | 65.47% | 2022 |
Regions and income groups
More education indicators
- Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24)
- Literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI)
- Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24)
- Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above)
- Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above)
- Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above)
- Compulsory education, duration (years)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)
- School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)
- School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)
- School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)
- Preprimary education, duration (years)
Reading data like this
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, SE.ADT.1524.LT.MA.ZS, 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. View on data.worldbank.org; the full definition is in the World Bank's metadata glossary.
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