Literacy Rate By Country 2025

Total Literacy Rate 2025

Male Literacy Rate

Female Literacy Rate

Youth Literacy Rate

Adult Literacy Rate

Elderly Literacy Rate

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Total Literacy Rate 2025

1	Slovakia	100%
1	Norway	100%
1	Andorra	100%
1	Liechtenstein	100%
1	Uzbekistan	100%
1	Guam	100%
1	Azerbaijan	100%
1	Kazakhstan	100%
1	Ukraine	100%
1	Luxembourg	100%
1	North Korea	100%
1	Georgia	100%
1	Finland	100%
1	Greenland	100%
15	Latvia	99.9%
15	Estonia	99.9%
15	Belarus	99.9%
15	San Marino	99.9%
19	Tajikistan	99.8%
19	Armenia	99.8%
19	Lithuania	99.8%
19	Poland	99.8%
23	Russia	99.7%
23	Slovenia	99.7%
23	Turkmenistan	99.7%
23	Cuba	99.7%
27	Moldova	99.6%
27	Kyrgyzstan	99.6%
27	Barbados	99.6%
30	Croatia	99.4%
30	Tonga	99.4%
30	Cyprus	99.4%
33	Italy	99.2%
34	Fiji	99.1%
34	Samoa	99.1%
34	Hungary	99.1%
37	Sweden	99%
37	Canada	99%
37	Argentina	99%
37	Albania	99%
37	Switzerland	99%
37	New Zealand	99%
37	Micronesia	99%
37	Japan	99%
37	Monaco	99%
37	United Kingdom	99%
37	Montenegro	99%
37	Belgium	99%
37	Iceland	99%
37	Tuvalu	99%
37	Denmark	99%
37	France	99%
37	United States	99%
37	Antigua and Barbuda	99%
37	Czech Republic	99%
37	Germany	99%
37	Serbia	99%
37	Australia	99%
37	Netherlands	99%
37	Mongolia	99%
37	Ireland	99%
62	Romania	98.9%
62	Cayman Islands	98.9%
64	South Korea	98.8%
64	Uruguay	98.8%
66	Spain	98.6%
66	Grenada	98.6%
68	Taiwan	98.5%
69	Bulgaria	98.4%
69	Jordan	98.4%
69	North Macedonia	98.4%
72	Marshall Islands	98.3%
73	Trinidad and Tobago	98%
73	Costa Rica	98%
73	Bahrain	98%
73	Aruba	98%
73	Austria	98%
73	United Arab Emirates	98%
73	Bosnia and Herzegovina	98%
73	Palestine	98%
81	Maldives	97.9%
81	Greece	97.9%
83	Israel	97.8%
84	Brunei	97.6%
84	Saudi Arabia	97.6%
86	Singapore	97.5%
86	Venezuela	97.5%
88	Macau	97.1%
89	Saint Kitts and Nevis	97%
89	China	97%
89	Chile	97%
89	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	97%
89	American Samoa	97%
94	New Caledonia	96.9%
95	Turkey	96.7%
96	Palau	96.6%
97	Kuwait	96.5%
98	Philippines	96.3%
99	Bahamas	96%
99	Indonesia	96%
101	Portugal	95.9%
101	Seychelles	95.9%
103	Vietnam	95.8%
104	Panama	95.7%
104	Oman	95.7%
106	Colombia	95.6%
107	Dominican Republic	95.5%
108	Equatorial Guinea	95.3%
109	Mexico	95.2%
110	Lebanon	95%
110	Malaysia	95%
110	South Africa	95%
110	Nauru	95%
110	Suriname	95%
115	Malta	94.9%
116	Sao Tome and Principe	94.8%
117	Brazil	94.7%
118	Paraguay	94.5%
118	Peru	94.5%
120	Thailand	94.1%
121	Bolivia	94%
122	Ecuador	93.9%
123	Qatar	93.5%
124	Puerto Rico	92.4%
125	Namibia	92.3%
125	Sri Lanka	92.3%
127	Mauritius	92.2%
128	Dominica	92%
129	Libya	91%
130	Cape Verde	90.8%
131	Guyana	90%
131	Saint Lucia	90%
131	El Salvador	90%
134	Ivory Coast	89.9%
135	Zimbabwe	89.7%
136	Myanmar	89.1%
136	Vanuatu	89.1%
138	Eswatini	89%
138	Iran	89%
140	Jamaica	88.7%
141	Botswana	88.5%
141	Honduras	88.5%
143	Laos	88%
144	Zambia	86.7%
145	Syria	86.4%
146	Gabon	86%
147	Iraq	85.6%
148	Cambodia	84%
148	Guatemala	84%
150	Nicaragua	83%
150	Kenya	83%
152	Tunisia	82.7%
153	Tanzania	82%
153	Lesotho	82%
155	Algeria	81.4%
156	DR Congo	81%
156	Belize	81%
158	Republic of the Congo	80.6%
159	Ghana	80%
160	Uganda	79%
161	Cameroon	78%
162	Madagascar	77.3%
163	Morocco	77%
163	Solomon Islands	77%
165	Eritrea	76.6%
166	Burundi	76%
166	India	76%
168	Rwanda	75.9%
169	Bangladesh	74.9%
170	Egypt	73.1%
171	Bhutan	72%
171	Angola	72%
173	Nepal	71.2%
174	Yemen	70.1%
175	Timor Leste	68.1%
176	Malawi	68%
177	Mauritania	67%
178	Togo	66.5%
179	Papua New Guinea	64.2%
180	Mozambique	63.4%
181	Nigeria	62%
181	Comoros	62%
183	Haiti	61.7%
184	Sudan	60.7%
185	Gambia	59%
186	Pakistan	58%
186	Senegal	58%
188	Guinea Bissau	52.9%
189	Ethiopia	51.8%
190	Sierra Leone	48.6%
191	Liberia	48.3%
192	Benin	47%
193	Burkina Faso	46%
194	Guinea	45.3%
195	Somalia	41%
196	Niger	38%
197	Central African Republic	37.5%
198	Afghanistan	37.3%
199	South Sudan	34.5%
200	Mali	31%
201	Chad	27%

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Interactive Map
Introduction
Highest Literacy Rates
Lowest Literacy Rates
Source

The Power of Literacy: A Global Perspective

Literacy is one of the most crucial stepping stones toward individual development, poverty reduction, and overall societal progress. By empowering individuals with the ability to read and write, we unlock their potential and open doors for countless opportunities across all aspects of life. As we cast a global lens on the literacy landscape, we witness stark uneven literacy rates among different countries. This is a testament to ongoing disparities and the work still needed to ensure access to quality education for all.

Key Insights:

With an impressive 100% literacy rate, countries like Finland, Norway, Luxembourg, Andorra, Greenland, Liechtenstein, and Uzbekistan top the chart, showcasing their achievements in providing comprehensive education to their populace.
The United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, New Zealand, Ireland, Iceland, and Monaco, among others, are closely behind with 99% literacy rates.
Despite progress, several nations still struggle with alarming literacy gaps. Niger, with a literacy rate of 19.10%, rests at the bottom, preceded by Guinea, South Sudan, and Mali, which have literacy rates below 35%.
Countries with high population densities, such as China and Indonesia, have managed to achieve commendable literacy rates of 96.36% and 95.44%, respectively, underlining the effectiveness of their educational policies.
In contrast, some nations with significant population sizes, like India and Pakistan, still grapple with considerable challenges, contributing to lower literacy rates of 72.23% and 56.44%, respectively.

Region ↕	Total Literacy Rate 2025↕	Male Literacy Rate 2025↕	Female Literacy Rate 2025↕	Youth Literacy Rate 2025↕	Adult Literacy Rate 2025↕	Elderly Literacy Rate 2025↕
Slovakia	100%
Norway	100%
Andorra	100%	100%	100%
Liechtenstein	100%
Uzbekistan	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	99.8%
Guam	100%	99.80%	99.70%	99.9%	99.4%	95.9%
Azerbaijan	100%	99.90%	99.70%	99.9%	99.8%	98.4%
Kazakhstan	100%	99.80%	99.70%	99.9%	99.8%	99.5%
Ukraine	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Luxembourg	100%
North Korea	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Georgia	100%	99.60%	99.70%	99.7%	99.6%	99.1%
Finland	100%
Greenland	100%	100%	100%	100%
Latvia	99.9%	99.90%	99.90%	99.8%	99.9%	99.9%
Estonia	99.9%	99.90%	99.90%	99.9%	99.9%	99.7%
Belarus	99.9%	99.90%	99.90%	99.8%	99.6%	98.6%
San Marino	99.9%	99.90%	99.90%
Tajikistan	99.8%	99.80%	99.70%	99.9%	99.8%	98.1%
Armenia	99.8%	99.80%	99.70%	99.8%	99.7%	98.9%
Lithuania	99.8%	99.80%	99.80%	99.9%	99.8%	99.8%
Poland	99.8%	99.80%	99.80%	99.8%	98.7%	93%
Russia	99.7%	99.70%	99.70%	99.7%	99.7%	99.2%
Slovenia	99.7%	99.70%	99.70%	99.8%	99.7%	99.3%
Turkmenistan	99.7%	99.80%	99.60%	99.8%	99.7%	97.6%
Cuba	99.7%	99.60%	99.70%	99.9%	99.8%	99.2%
Moldova	99.6%	99.70%	99.50%	99.5%	99.1%	95.8%
Kyrgyzstan	99.6%	99.70%	99.50%	99.8%	99.2%	92.5%
Barbados	99.6%	99.60%	99.60%	99.9%	99.6%	98.5%
Croatia	99.4%	99.70%	99.20%	99.7%	99.1%	97.1%
Tonga	99.4%	99.40%	99.50%	99.4%	99.4%	98.9%
Cyprus	99.4%	99.60%	99.20%	99.8%	98.7%	93.8%
Italy	99.2%	99.40%	99%	99.9%	98.8%	96.7%
Fiji	99.1%	99.10%	99.10%
Samoa	99.1%	99%	99.30%	99.2%	99%	96.3%
Hungary	99.1%	99.10%	99.10%	98.8%	99.1%	99.1%
Sweden	99%
Canada	99%
Argentina	99%	98.90%	99.10%	99.5%	99.1%	97.9%
Albania	99%	98.70%	98.20%	99.2%	97.2%	86.9%
Switzerland	99%
New Zealand	99%
Micronesia	99%
Japan	99%
Monaco	99%
United Kingdom	99%
Montenegro	99%	99.40%	98.50%	99.2%	98.4%	93.9%
Belgium	99%
Iceland	99%
Tuvalu	99%
Denmark	99%
France	99%
United States	99%
Antigua and Barbuda	99%	98.40%	99.40%		98.9%
Czech Republic	99%	99%	99%
Germany	99%
Serbia	99%	99.90%	99.10%	99.7%	98.8%	96.6%
Australia	99%			96.6%
Netherlands	99%
Mongolia	99%	99.10%	99.20%	98.5%	98.3%	94.6%
Ireland	99%
Romania	98.9%	99.10%	98.70%	99%	98.6%	96.8%
Cayman Islands	98.9%	98.70%	99%	98.9%	98.9%	94.7%
South Korea	98.8%	99.20%	98.40%
Uruguay	98.8%	98.50%	99%	98.9%	98.6%	97.1%
Spain	98.6%	99%	98%	99.6%	98.3%	94.7%
Grenada	98.6%	98.60%	98.60%	99.2%	98.6%	96.2%
Taiwan	98.5%	99.70%	97.30%
Bulgaria	98.4%	98.70%	98.20%	97.9%	98.4%	97.5%
Jordan	98.4%	98.70%	98.40%	99.1%	97.9%	87.7%
North Macedonia	98.4%	99.10%	97.60%	98.7%	96.1%	82.5%
Marshall Islands	98.3%	98.30%	98.20%	98.5%	98.3%	89.4%
Trinidad and Tobago	98%	99.20%	98.70%	99.3%	96.9%	82.8%
Costa Rica	98%	98%	98.10%	99.1%	97.4%	90.4%
Bahrain	98%	99.90%	94.90%	97%	86.5%	42.3%
Aruba	98%	97.80%	97.80%	99.1%	96.8%	88.9%
Austria	98%
United Arab Emirates	98%	98.80%	97.20%	95%	90%	42.1%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	98%	99.40%	98.10%	99.7%	97%	86%
Palestine	98%	98.80%	96.20%	99%	97%	63.9%
Maldives	97.9%	97.60%	98.40%	99.3%	98.6%	92.8%
Greece	97.9%	98.50%	97.40%	98.8%	97.4%	92.5%
Israel	97.8%	98.70%	96.80%	98.6%	91.8%	79.8%
Brunei	97.6%	98.30%	96.90%	99.4%	96.1%	61.6%
Saudi Arabia	97.6%	98.60%	96%	99.2%	94.4%	51.4%
Singapore	97.5%	98.90%	96.10%	99.9%	97%	84%
Venezuela	97.5%	97.40%	97.70%	98.8%	97.1%	88.1%
Macau	97.1%	98.50%	95.90%	99.8%	96.5%	81.2%
Saint Kitts and Nevis	97%
China	97%	98.50%	95.20%	99.8%	96.8%	73.9%
Chile	97%	97.10%	97%	99.4%	96.9%	89.9%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	97%			98%	95.6%	91%
American Samoa	97%			97.7%	97.3%	92.7%
New Caledonia	96.9%	97.30%	96.50%	99.2%	97.8%	90.6%
Turkey	96.7%	99.10%	94.40%	99.6%	96.2%	88.1%
Palau	96.6%	96.80%	96.30%	98.7%	96.6%	84.7%
Kuwait	96.5%	97.10%	95.40%	99.2%	96.1%	69.5%
Philippines	96.3%	95.70%	96.90%	98.1%	96.4%	90.1%
Bahamas	96%
Indonesia	96%	97.40%	94.60%	99.7%	95.4%	70.1%
Portugal	95.9%	97.80%	95.90%	99.4%	94.5%	80.5%
Seychelles	95.9%	95.40%	96.40%	99%	94%	71.5%
Vietnam	95.8%	97%	94.60%	97.1%	95.8%	76.9%
Panama	95.7%	98.80%	95.40%	97.6%	94.1%	80.9%
Oman	95.7%	97%	92.70%	98.7%	96.1%	41.9%
Colombia	95.6%	95.40%	95.90%	98.7%	94.7%	81.4%
Dominican Republic	95.5%	95.40%	95.60%	98.8%	93.8%	79.8%
Equatorial Guinea	95.3%	97.40%	93%	98.2%	95%	67.2%
Mexico	95.2%	96.10%	94.50%	99.1%	94.9%	78.9%
Lebanon	95%	96.90%	93.30%	99.2%	91.2%	60.2%
Malaysia	95%	96.20%	93.60%	98.2%	89.5%	47.1%
South Africa	95%	95.50%	94.50%	99%	94.4%	72.1%
Nauru	95%
Suriname	95%	96.50%	93.40%	97.7%	92.9%	76%
Malta	94.9%	93.40%	96.40%	98.9%	93.3%	85.8%
Sao Tome and Principe	94.8%	96.50%	91.10%	96.7%	90.1%	49.6%
Brazil	94.7%	94.40%	94.90%	99.7%	92%	74.3%
Paraguay	94.5%	94.90%	94.20%	98.5%	94.7%	77.8%
Peru	94.5%	97%	92%	98.9%	94.1%	77.7%
Thailand	94.1%	95.50%	92.80%	98.1%	92.9%	78.7%
Bolivia	94%	94.90%	94%	99.4%	92.5%	67.5%
Ecuador	93.9%	94.90%	93.10%	99.1%	94.4%	77.7%
Qatar	93.5%	92.40%	94.70%	95.9%	89%	41%
Puerto Rico	92.4%	92.40%	92.40%	98.8%	92.4%	84.5%
Namibia	92.3%	90.60%	92.30%	94.4%	88.3%	56.7%
Sri Lanka	92.3%	93%	91.60%	98.9%	91.9%	81%
Mauritius	92.2%	93.50%	90.50%	98.1%	93.2%	64.6%
Dominica	92%
Libya	91%	96.70%	85.60%	99.6%	86.1%	24.2%
Cape Verde	90.8%	94.20%	87.40%	98.1%	86.8%	36.8%
Guyana	90%	89.30%	88.40%	96.7%	85.6%	49.9%
Saint Lucia	90%
El Salvador	90%	91.30%	87.30%	98%	88.5%	65.7%
Ivory Coast	89.9%	93.10%	86.70%	53%	43.9%	18%
Zimbabwe	89.7%	88.30%	89.70%	90.4%	88.7%	81.1%
Myanmar	89.1%	92.40%	86.30%	84.8%	75.6%	58.2%
Vanuatu	89.1%	89.80%	88.40%	95.3%	84.7%	44.2%
Eswatini	89%	88.30%	88.50%	93.5%	83.1%	45.2%
Iran	89%	92.40%	88.70%	98.1%	85.5%	36.8%
Jamaica	88.7%	84%	93.10%	96.3%	88.1%	66.6%
Botswana	88.5%	88%	88.90%	97.7%	87.7%	40.7%
Honduras	88.5%	88.20%	88.70%	96.1%	89%	66.3%
Laos	88%	91.40%	81.40%	92.5%	84.7%	58.6%
Zambia	86.7%	90.60%	83.10%	88.7%	83%	52.3%
Syria	86.4%	91.70%	81%	92.5%	80.8%	39%
Gabon	86%	86.20%	84.70%	88.5%	82.3%	60.6%
Iraq	85.6%	91.20%	79.90%	93.5%	85.6%	20.4%
Cambodia	84%	88.40%	79.80%	92.2%	80.5%	53.1%
Guatemala	84%	87.70%	79.30%	94.4%	81.3%	50.7%
Nicaragua	83%	82.40%	82.80%	87%	78%	49.2%
Kenya	83%	85.50%	79.80%	86.5%	78.7%	54%
Tunisia	82.7%	89.10%	82.70%	96.2%	79%	39.8%
Tanzania	82%	85.50%	78.20%	85.8%	77.9%	43.5%
Lesotho	82%	81%	72.90%	86.6%	76.6%	51.4%
Algeria	81.4%	87.40%	75.30%	93.8%	75.1%	19.5%
DR Congo	81%	89.50%	70.80%	85%	77%	48%
Belize	81%			77.6%	70.3%	44.8%
Republic of the Congo	80.6%	85.90%	75.40%	80.9%	79.3%	73.1%
Ghana	80%	83.50%	74.50%	85.7%	71.5%	34.9%
Uganda	79%	84%	74.30%	83.7%	70.2%	36.1%
Cameroon	78%			80.6%	71.3%	26.1%
Madagascar	77.3%	78.80%	75.80%	76.8%	71.6%	49.4%
Morocco	77%	84.80%	67.40%	97.7%	73.8%	34.1%
Solomon Islands	77%				76.6%
Eritrea	76.6%	84.40%	68.90%	87%	64.7%	20.9%
Burundi	76%	81.30%	68.40%	79.6%	61.6%	24.9%
India	76%	82.40%	65.80%	95.7%	75.4%	45.4%
Rwanda	75.9%	78.70%	73.30%	85.1%	70.8%	24.3%
Bangladesh	74.9%	77.80%	72%	94.9%	74.7%	39.4%
Egypt	73.1%	78.80%	67.40%	93.9%	71.2%	43.2%
Bhutan	72%	77.90%	62.80%	87.3%	57%	14.9%
Angola	72%			77.4%	66%	27%
Nepal	71.2%	81%	63.30%	84.8%	68%	20.8%
Yemen	70.1%	85.10%	55%	77%	54.1%	13.7%
Timor Leste	68.1%	71.90%	64.20%	79.5%	58.3%	11.2%
Malawi	68%	71.20%	63.70%	72.9%	62.1%	35.1%
Mauritania	67%	71.80%	62.20%	56.1%	45.5%	26.6%
Togo	66.5%	80%	55.10%	84.3%	63.7%	20.4%
Papua New Guinea	64.2%	65.60%	62.80%	67.9%	61.6%	33%
Mozambique	63.4%	74.10%	53.80%	70.5%	56%	26%
Nigeria	62%	71.30%	52.70%	66.4%	51.1%	21.6%
Comoros	62%	67%	56.90%	71.6%	49.2%	12.8%
Haiti	61.7%	65.30%	58.30%	72.3%	48.7%	8.5%
Sudan	60.7%	65.40%	56.10%	65.8%	53.5%	24.3%
Gambia	59%	65.20%	51.20%	60.8%	42%	10.4%
Pakistan	58%	69.30%	46.50%	74.5%	59.1%	27.1%
Senegal	58%	68.40%	45.40%	69.5%	51.9%	21.5%
Guinea Bissau	52.9%	67%	39.90%	60.4%	45.6%	19.5%
Ethiopia	51.8%	57.20%	44.40%	55%	39%	13.6%
Sierra Leone	48.6%	56.30%	41.30%	57%	32.4%	3.7%
Liberia	48.3%	62.70%	34.10%	49.1%	42.9%	32.8%
Benin	47%	56.90%	35%	52.5%	32.9%	7%
Burkina Faso	46%	54.50%	37.80%	50.1%	34.6%	8.4%
Guinea	45.3%	61.20%	31.30%	46.3%	32%	13.1%
Somalia	41%
Niger	38%	45.80%	29%	39.8%	30.6%	13.7%
Central African Republic	37.5%	49.20%	26.20%	36.4%	36.8%	35.7%
Afghanistan	37.3%	52.10%	22.60%	65%	31.7%	20.3%
South Sudan	34.5%	40.30%	28.90%	36.7%	26.8%	11%
Mali	31%	46.20%	25.70%	49.4%	33.1%	13.6%
Chad	27%	35.40%	18.20%	30.8%	22.3%	7%

Countries With Highest Literacy Rate

The top countries with the highest literacy rates are Finland, Norway, Luxembourg, Andorra, Greenland, Liechtenstein, Uzbekistan, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. Finland, Norway, Luxembourg, Andorra, Greenland, Liechtenstein, and Uzbekistan have an impeccable score with a 100% literacy rate. This means that every citizen in these seven countries is literate, reflecting the high standard of education in these countries.

Latvia follows closely with a literacy rate of 99.89%, making it the eighth country with the highest literacy. Coming in at ninth and tenth, Estonia and Lithuania both have very high literacy rates of 99.82%.

10 countries with the highest literacy rates:

Finland - 100% Literacy Rate
Norway - 100% Literacy Rate
Luxembourg - 100% Literacy Rate
Andorra - 100% Literacy Rate
Greenland - 100% Literacy Rate
Liechtenstein - 100% Literacy Rate
Uzbekistan - 100% Literacy Rate
Latvia - 99.89% Literacy Rate
Estonia - 99.82% Literacy Rate
Lithuania - 99.82% Literacy Rate

Countries With Lowest Literacy Rate

Among all nations worldwide, the lowest literacy rates are found primarily in African and Middle-Eastern countries. These countries, according to data, are Niger, Guinea, South Sudan, Mali, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Somalia, Afghanistan, Benin, and Chad.

Niger is the country with the lowest literacy rate, standing at a meager 19.10%. Following closely behind is Guinea, with a literacy rate of 30.47%. South Sudan's literacy rate is 31.98%, making it the third country with the lowest literacy rate.

Mali, with a literacy rate of 33.07%, is the fourth country on the list. The Central African Republic and Burkina Faso are not far behind, with their literacy rates standing at 36.75% and 37.75% respectively.

Somalia and Afghanistan have very similar literacy rates, at 37.80% and 38.17% respectively. Benin's literacy rate is 38.45%, while Chad wraps up our list with a literacy rate of 40.02%.

10 Countries With Lowest Literacy Rates: