World Literacy Rates

Country

Total

Male

Female

Year

Algeria	72.2 percent	80.6 percent	63.6 percent	2005
Angola	41.7 percent	55.6 percent	28.5 percent	1990
Benin	43.2 percent	58.8 percent	28.4 percent	2005
Botswana	81.4 percent	78.6 percent	84.1 percent	2005
Burkina Faso	28.5 percent	38.8 percent	18.2 percent	2005
Burundi	53.9 percent	60 percent	48.2 percent	2005
Cameroon	81.1 percent	86.2 percent	76.1 percent	2005
Cape Verde	78 percent	86.7 percent	70.9 percent	2005
Central African Republic	53.9 percent	65.6 percent	43.2 percent	2005
Chad	53.6 percent	66.9 percent	40.8 percent	2000
Comoros	56.8 percent	63.9 percent	49.7 percent	2005
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	89.8 percent	95 percent	84.9 percent	2005
Congo, Republic of	85.8 percent	91.2 percent	80.8 percent	2005
Côte d'Ivoire	53.6 percent	60.1 percent	46.8 percent	2005
Djibouti	51.4 percent	65 percent	38.4 percent	2000
Egypt	59.3 percent	69.4 percent	48.9 percent	2005
Equatorial Guinea	87.1 percent	94.1 percent	80.5 percent	2005
Ethiopia	45.1 percent	52.4 percent	37.8 percent	2005
Gabon	70.8 percent	79.8 percent	62.2 percent	2000
Ghana	76.9 percent	84.3 percent	69.8 percent	2005
Guinea	41.1 percent	55.1 percent	27 percent	2000
Guinea-Bissau	44.8 percent	60.4 percent	30.1 percent	2005
Kenya	86.9 percent	91.7 percent	82.1 percent	2005
Lesotho	85.7 percent	75.8 percent	95.1 percent	2005
Liberia	59.5 percent	75.1 percent	43.9 percent	2005
Libya	84.2 percent	93.4 percent	74.3 percent	2005
Madagascar	66.5 percent	73.6 percent	59.7 percent	2000
Malawi	64.3 percent	77.1 percent	51.9 percent	2005
Mali	49.7 percent	56.6 percent	43.1 percent	2005
Mauritania	42.6 percent	52.5 percent	33 percent	2005
Mauritius	86.4 percent	89.1 percent	83.8 percent	2005
Morocco	53.5 percent	65.6 percent	41.5 percent	2005
Mozambique	50.4 percent	65.8 percent	35.5 percent	2005
Namibia	85.4 percent	85.5 percent	85.3 percent	2005
Niger	18.7 percent	27.1 percent	10.6 percent	2005
Nigeria	70.7 percent	77.8 percent	63.8 percent	2005
Reunion	89.8 percent	87.9 percent	91.7 percent	2005
Rwanda	72.7 percent	78 percent	67.6 percent	2005
São Tomé and Principe	57.4 percent	73.2 percent	42.4 percent	1995
Senegal	42.1 percent	51.7 percent	32.6 percent	2005
Seychelles	57.7 percent	55.6 percent	59.8 percent	1995
Sierra Leone	36.3 percent	50.7 percent	22.6 percent	2000
Somalia	24.1 percent	36.1 percent	14 percent	1995
South Africa	87.1 percent	87.7 percent	86.5 percent	2005
Sudan	63.2 percent	73.3 percent	53.2 percent	2005
Swaziland	82.9 percent	83.7 percent	82.1 percent	2005
Tanzania	80.2 percent	87.2 percent	73.4 percent	2005
The Gambia	42.4 percent	50.2 percent	35 percent	2005
Togo	63.5 percent	77.4 percent	49.9 percent	2005
Tunisia	76.2 percent	85.7 percent	66.7 percent	2005
Uganda	71.6 percent	80.7 percent	62.7 percent	2005
Zambia	82.2 percent	87.7 percent	76.8 percent	2005
Zimbabwe	91.9 percent	95.1 percent	88.7 percent	2005

Country

Total

Male

Female

Year

Afghanistan	36.3 percent	51 percent	20.8 percent	2000
Armenia	98.4 percent	99.3 percent	97.6 percent	2000
Azerbaijan	99.6 percent	99.7 percent	99.5 percent	1995
Bahrain	90 percent	92.6 percent	86.4 percent	2005
Bangladesh	44.2 percent	54.9 percent	33 percent	2005
Bhutan	47.3 percent	61.1 percent	33.6 percent	2000
Brunei	92.8 percent	95.5 percent	89.9 percent	2005
Cambodia	71.3 percent	81 percent	62.5 percent	2005
China	87.3 percent	93.7 percent	80.6 percent	2005
Cyprus	98 percent	99.1 percent	96.9 percent	2005
Georgia	99.5 percent	99.7 percent	99.4 percent	1995
Hong Kong, China	93.4 percent	96.5 percent	90 percent	2000
India	56.6 percent	69.5 percent	43 percent	2005
Indonesia	89.5 percent	93.6 percent	85.6 percent	2005
Iran	81.3 percent	87.2 percent	75.2 percent	2005
Iraq	41.1 percent	56.6 percent	25.2 percent	2005
Israel	96 percent	97.6 percent	94.4 percent	2005
Japan	99 percent	99 percent	99 percent	1995
Jordan	92.4 percent	96.5 percent	87.9 percent	2005
Kazakhstan	99.6 percent	99.7 percent	99.5 percent	1995
Korea, North	99 percent	99 percent	99 percent	1995
Korea, South	98.4 percent	99.3 percent	97.4 percent	2005
Kuwait	84.4 percent	85.8 percent	82.9 percent	2005
Kyrgyzstan	99.6 percent	99.7 percent	99.5 percent	1995
Laos	64.8 percent	76.2 percent	53.4 percent	2000
Lebanon	88.3 percent	93.6 percent	83.4 percent	2005
Macau	94.8 percent	97.5 percent	92.3 percent	2005
Malaysia	89.9 percent	93 percent	86.8 percent	2005
Maldives	97.5 percent	97.3 percent	97.6 percent	2005
Mongolia	99.2 percent	99.2 percent	99.1 percent	2005
Myanmar	86.2 percent	89.6 percent	82.8 percent	2005
Nepal	47.5 percent	64.7 percent	29.9 percent	2005
Oman	78.3 percent	84.9 percent	70.5 percent	2005
Pakistan	47.4 percent	61.4 percent	32.4 percent	2005
Philippines	96.3 percent	96.3 percent	96.2 percent	2005
Qatar	83.5 percent	82 percent	86.5 percent	2005
Saudi Arabia	80.5 percent	85.9 percent	73.3 percent	2005
Singapore	93.9 percent	97 percent	90.8 percent	2005
Sri Lanka	92.8 percent	95 percent	90.6 percent	2005
Syria	78.4 percent	90.6 percent	66.1 percent	2005
Tajikistan	99.5 percent	99.7 percent	99.2 percent	2005
Thailand	96.4 percent	97.7 percent	95.1 percent	2005
Timor-Leste	43 percent	43.1 percent	42.8 percent	2001
Turkey	87.6 percent	94.9 percent	80.1 percent	2005
Turkmenistan	99.7 percent	99.8 percent	99.6 percent	1995
United Arab Emirates	78.9 percent	76.9 percent	82.8 percent	2005
Uzbekistan	99.2 percent	99.6 percent	98.8 percent	2000
Vietnam	94.4 percent	96 percent	92.9 percent	2005
Yemen	52.9 percent	72.5 percent	33.2 percent	2005

Country

Total

Male

Female

Year

Albania	84.7 percent	92.1 percent	77 percent	2000
Andorra	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not available
Austria	99 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Belarus	99.7 percent	99.8 percent	99.6 percent	2005
Belgium	99 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not available
Bulgaria	98.8 percent	99.2 percent	98.4 percent	2005
Croatia	98.7 percent	99.5 percent	98.1 percent	2005
Czech Republic	99 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Denmark	99 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Estonia	99.8 percent	99.8 percent	99.8 percent	2003
Finland	100 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
France	99 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Germany	99 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Greece	97.7 percent	98.7 percent	96.8 percent	2005
Hungary	99.4 percent	99.5 percent	99.3 percent	2005
Iceland	100 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Ireland	98 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Italy	98.8 percent	99.1 percent	98.4 percent	2005
Latvia	99.8 percent	99.8 percent	99.8 percent	2005
Lithuania	99.6 percent	99.7 percent	99.6 percent	2005
Luxembourg	100 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not available
Malta	93.4 percent	92.4 percent	94.4 percent	2005
Moldova	99.3 percent	99.7 percent	99 percent	2005
Monaco	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not available
Norway	99 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Poland	99.8 percent	99.8 percent	99.8 percent	2005
Portugal	94.1 percent	96.1 percent	92.3 percent	2005
Romania	98.5 percent	99.2 percent	97.9 percent	2005
Russian Federation	99.6 percent	99.7 percent	99.6 percent	2005
San Marino	96.1 percent	96.8 percent	95.3 percent	1995
Slovakia	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not available
Slovenia	99.7 percent	99.7 percent	99.6 percent	2005
Spain	98.1 percent	98.8 percent	97.4 percent	2005
Sweden	99 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Switzerland	99 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
The Netherlands	99 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Ukraine	99.6 percent	99.8 percent	99.5 percent	2000
United Kingdom	99 percent	Not available	Not available	1995

Country

Total

Male

Female

Year

Antigua and Barbuda	89 percent	90 percent	88 percent	1995
Aruba	97 percent	Not available	Not available	1991
Barbados	99.7 percent	99.7 percent	99.7 percent	2000
Belize	93.2 percent	93.3 percent	93.2 percent	2000
Canada	96.6 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Costa Rica	96.3 percent	96.2 percent	96.4 percent	2005
Cuba	97.3 percent	97.4 percent	97.2 percent	2005
Dominica	94.1 percent	94 percent	94.2 percent	1995
Dominican Republic	85.4 percent	85.3 percent	85.6 percent	2005
El Salvador	81.2 percent	83.7 percent	78.9 percent	2005
Grenada	97.8 percent	98 percent	97.6 percent	1995
Guatemala	71.9 percent	79.2 percent	64.7 percent	2005
Haiti	54.8 percent	56.5 percent	53.2 percent	2005
Honduras	77.2 percent	77 percent	77.5 percent	2005
Jamaica	88.7 percent	84.9 percent	92.3 percent	2005
Martinique	98 percent	97.6 percent	98.3 percent	2005
Mexico	92.7 percent	94.4 percent	91.2 percent	2005
Nicaragua	68.2 percent	67.8 percent	68.5 percent	2005
Panama	93 percent	93.7 percent	92.4 percent	2005
Saint Kitts and Nevis	97.3 percent	97.1 percent	97.5 percent	1995
Saint Lucia	81.7 percent	80.8 percent	82.4 percent	1995
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	95.6 percent	95.8 percent	95.5 percent	1995
The Bahamas	95.8 percent	94.9 percent	96.7 percent	2005
The Netherlands Antilles	96.9 percent	96.9 percent	97 percent	2005
Trinidad and Tobago	98.2 percent	99 percent	97.5 percent	2000
United States	99.5 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Virgin Islands, British	98.3 percent	98.1 percent	98.5 percent	1995

Country

Total

Male

Female

Year

Australia	100 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Cook Islands	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not available
Fiji Islands	94.4 percent	95.9 percent	92.9 percent	2005
Kiribati	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not available
New Zealand	99 percent	Not available	Not available	1995
Niue	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not available
Papua New Guinea	76 percent	83.7 percent	67.7 percent	2000
Samoa	99.7 percent	99.7 percent	99.7 percent	2005
Solomon Islands	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not available
Tonga	99.6 percent	99.7 percent	99.5 percent	1995
Tuvalu	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not available
Vanuatu	52.9 percent	57.3 percent	47.8 percent	1995

Country

Total

Male

Female

Year

Argentina	97.2 percent	97.2 percent	97.3 percent	2005
Bolivia	88.4 percent	93.8 percent	83.1 percent	2005
Brazil	87.1 percent	86.7 percent	87.5 percent	2005
Chile	96.5 percent	96.6 percent	96.4 percent	2005
Colombia	93 percent	92.9 percent	93.1 percent	2005
Ecuador	93.1 percent	94.4 percent	91.7 percent	2005
Guyana	99 percent	99.2 percent	98.7 percent	2005
Paraguay	94.4 percent	95.2 percent	93.6 percent	2005
Peru	91.6 percent	95.6 percent	87.7 percent	2005
Suriname	94.2 percent	95.9 percent	92.6 percent	2000
Uruguay	98.2 percent	97.8 percent	98.5 percent	2005
Venezuela	94 percent	94.2 percent	93.8 percent	2005