Adult Literacy Rate, Population 25-64 Years (%) by Country 2026

Adult literacy rates measure the percentage of the population aged 25-64 years who can read and write with understanding. This indicator reflects the educational attainment and knowledge base of the working-age population, serving as a key measure of human capital development and economic potential.

Understanding Adult Literacy Rates

Literacy is a fundamental skill that enables individuals to participate fully in society, access employment opportunities, and engage in lifelong learning. The 25-64 age group represents the core working-age population, making their literacy levels particularly significant for economic productivity and social development. Adult literacy rates vary dramatically across countries, reflecting differences in educational systems, historical investment in education, and economic development levels.

High literacy rates (above 90%) are typically found in developed nations with established education systems and long histories of educational investment. Middle-income countries show more variation, with rates ranging from 40% to 90% depending on their development trajectory and education policies. Low-income countries often face challenges in achieving universal literacy due to limited educational infrastructure, economic constraints, and competing priorities for public resources.

Adult Literacy Rate, Population 25-64 Years (%) by Country 2026

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#	Country	2026 Estimate (%)
1	Aruba AW	100%
2	Bosnia and Herzegovina BA	100%
3	Brunei BN	100%
4	Bulgaria BG	100%
5	Cayman Islands KY	100%
6	Costa Rica CR	100%
7	Croatia HR	100%
8	Cyprus CY	100%
9	Estonia EE	100%
10	Greece GR	100%
11	Kazakhstan KZ	100%
12	Kiribati KI	100%
13	Kyrgyzstan KG	100%
14	Latvia LV	100%
15	Lithuania LT	100%
16	Moldova MD	100%
17	Nauru NR	100%
18	Niue NU	100%
19	North Korea KP	100%
20	North Macedonia MK	100%
21	Palau PW	100%
22	Papua New Guinea PG	100%
23	Portugal PT	100%
24	Seychelles SC	100%
25	South Korea KR	100%
26	Tajikistan TJ	100%
27	Tokelau TK	100%
28	Tuvalu TV	100%
29	Ukraine UA	100%
30	Uzbekistan UZ	100%
31	San Marino SM	99.93%
32	Russia RU	99.92%
33	Wallis and Futuna WF	99.91%
34	Belarus BY	99.89%
35	Spain ES	99.88%
36	Azerbaijan AZ	99.84%
37	Armenia AM	99.81%
38	Malta MT	99.76%
39	Georgia GE	99.75%
40	Italy IT	99.6%
41	Romania RO	99.59%
42	Serbia RS	99.54%
43	Cuba CU	99.3%
44	Argentina AR	99.27%
45	Oman OM	99.09%
46	Uruguay UY	99.07%
47	United Arab Emirates AE	98.99%
48	Singapore SG	98.98%
49	Palestine PS	98.81%
50	Samoa WS	98.61%
51	Maldives MV	98.55%
52	Philippines PH	98.49%
53	Türkiye TR	98.48%
54	China CN	98.44%
55	Albania AL	98.4%
56	Mongolia MN	98.35%
57	Bahrain BH	98.29%
58	Mauritius MU	98.23%
59	Saudi Arabia SA	98.22%
60	Chile CL	98.1%
61	Macau MO	98.02%
62	Venezuela VE	97.84%
63	Bolivia BO	97.74%
64	Suriname SR	97.6%
65	Vietnam VN	97.07%
66	Mexico MX	96.99%
67	Panama PA	96.98%
68	Indonesia ID	96.97%
69	Malaysia MY	96.74%
70	Kuwait KW	96.7%
71	Colombia CO	96.46%
72	Paraguay PY	96.42%
73	Brazil BR	95.94%
74	Jordan JO	95.29%
75	Ecuador EC	95.2%
76	Syria SY	95.14%
77	Peru PE	95.09%
78	Qatar QA	94.97%
79	Dominican Republic DO	94.7%
80	Myanmar MM	93.74%
81	Zimbabwe ZW	93.62%
82	Sri Lanka LK	93.54%
83	Thailand TH	93.12%
84	Lebanon LB	92.95%
85	Puerto Rico PR	92.39%
86	South Africa ZA	92.1%
87	Cape Verde CV	91.89%
88	Iran IR	91.7%
89	Lesotho LS	91.67%
90	Eswatini SZ	91.58%
91	El Salvador SV	91.22%
92	Honduras HN	90.57%
93	Tunisia TN	90.48%
94	Namibia NA	88.84%
95	Marshall Islands MH	88.82%
96	Gabon GA	88.69%
97	Vanuatu VU	87.74%
98	Kenya KE	87.25%
99	Guyana GY	86.84%
100	Sao Tome and Principe ST	86.01%
101	Uganda UG	85.51%
102	Iraq IQ	83.18%
103	Belize BZ	83.14%
104	Botswana BW	82.63%
105	Zambia ZM	82.54%
106	Nicaragua NI	82.09%
107	Guatemala GT	81.77%
108	Congo CG	81.65%
109	India IN	81.06%
110	Tonga TO	80.49%
111	Rwanda RW	77.82%
112	Egypt EG	77.47%
113	Timor-Leste TL	77.46%
114	Tanzania TZ	77.32%
115	Bangladesh BD	77.11%
116	Equatorial Guinea GQ	75.04%
117	Laos LA	75.02%
118	Comoros KM	72.43%
119	Algeria DZ	72.25%
120	Guinea-Bissau GW	71.56%
121	Cambodia KH	71.24%
122	Cameroon CM	71.04%
123	Togo TG	68.98%
124	Nigeria NG	68.57%
125	Haiti HT	68.41%
126	Malawi MW	67.48%
127	Madagascar MG	67.44%
128	Nepal NP	67.21%
129	Burundi BI	66.67%
130	Ghana GH	65.84%
131	Angola AO	63.13%
132	Sudan SD	62.96%
133	DR Congo CD	62.69%
134	Bhutan BT	61.43%
135	Mozambique MZ	59.92%
136	Liberia LR	57.54%
137	Pakistan PK	55.81%
138	Morocco MA	55.13%
139	Ethiopia ET	52.08%
140	Ivory Coast CI	51.86%
141	Mauritania MR	51.15%
142	Eritrea ER	48.82%
143	Gambia GM	46.97%
144	Senegal SN	45.59%
145	Benin BJ	44.68%
146	Djibouti DJ	42.81%
147	Central African Republic CF	39.82%
148	Mali ML	36.69%
149	Chad TD	36.64%
150	Guinea GN	34.72%
151	Sierra Leone SL	33.72%
152	Burkina Faso BF	30.82%
153	Somalia SO	30.15%
154	Niger NE	28.92%
155	South Sudan SS	27.47%
156	Afghanistan AF	27.3%

Global Literacy Patterns and Regional Variations

Regional analysis reveals significant disparities in adult literacy achievement. Nordic countries and other developed European nations consistently maintain literacy rates above 95%, reflecting centuries of educational investment and strong institutional frameworks. East Asia has made remarkable progress, with countries like China and South Korea achieving rates above 97%, driven by rapid economic development and education system modernization.

South and West Asia shows more variation, with rates ranging from 27% in Afghanistan to over 99% in Armenia. This region has experienced significant educational expansion in recent decades, though challenges remain in lower-income countries. Sub-Saharan Africa generally shows lower literacy rates, with many countries below 70%, though countries like South Africa and Botswana have achieved rates above 75% through targeted education initiatives.

Latin America demonstrates relatively high literacy rates, typically above 85%, reflecting the region's educational progress over the past two decades. The Middle East and North Africa region shows improvement, with Gulf countries achieving rates above 95% through substantial education investment, while some Maghreb countries remain in the 70-80% range.

Factors Influencing Adult Literacy Achievement

Several key factors determine literacy rates across countries. Economic development level is strongly correlated with literacy, as wealthier nations can invest more in education infrastructure and teacher training. Educational policy and curriculum quality directly impact literacy outcomes, with countries emphasizing foundational skills showing higher achievement rates.

Historical education investment creates long-term effects, as populations educated decades ago continue to influence current literacy statistics. Infrastructure development, including school availability and teacher quality, enables literacy acquisition. Cultural attitudes toward education, particularly regarding girls' education, significantly influence national literacy rates. Political stability and governance quality enable consistent education system development and resource allocation.

Demographic factors also play a role, with younger populations in developing countries potentially showing different literacy patterns than older populations. Migration patterns can affect national statistics, as educated populations may emigrate to higher-income countries. Language diversity and the availability of education in local languages influence literacy achievement in multilingual societies.

Adult Literacy Rate, Population 25-64 Years (%) by Country 2026

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#	Country	2020 (%)	2021 (%)	2022 (%)	2023 (%)	2024 (%)	2025 (%)	2026 Estimate (%)
1	Aruba	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
2	Bosnia and Herzegovina	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
3	Brunei	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
4	Bulgaria	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
5	Cayman Islands	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
6	Costa Rica	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
7	Croatia	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
8	Cyprus	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
9	Estonia	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
10	Greece	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
11	Kazakhstan	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
12	Kiribati	98.75%	-	-	-	-	-	100%
13	Kyrgyzstan	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
14	Latvia	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
15	Lithuania	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
16	Moldova	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
17	Nauru	-	95.55%	-	98.24%	-	-	100%
18	Niue	-	-	99.24%	-	-	-	100%
19	North Korea	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
20	North Macedonia	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
21	Palau	100%	-	-	-	-	-	100%
22	Papua New Guinea	-	-	86.04%	-	-	-	100%
23	Portugal	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
24	Seychelles	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
25	South Korea	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
26	Tajikistan	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
27	Tokelau	-	-	100%	-	-	-	100%
28	Tuvalu	-	-	100%	-	-	-	100%
29	Ukraine	-	-	-	-	-	-	100%
30	Uzbekistan	-	100%	100%	-	-	-	100%
31	San Marino	-	-	99.93%	-	-	-	99.93%
32	Russia	-	99.92%	-	-	-	-	99.92%
33	Wallis and Futuna	-	-	-	99.91%	-	-	99.91%
34	Belarus	-	-	-	-	-	-	99.89%
35	Spain	99.32%	99.88%	-	-	-	-	99.88%
36	Azerbaijan	-	-	-	99.84%	-	-	99.84%
37	Armenia	99.89%	-	99.81%	99.81%	-	-	99.81%
38	Malta	-	-	-	-	-	-	99.76%
39	Georgia	99.94%	99.94%	99.61%	99.68%	99.75%	-	99.75%
40	Italy	-	-	-	-	-	-	99.6%
41	Romania	-	99.59%	-	-	-	-	99.59%
42	Serbia	-	-	99.54%	-	-	-	99.54%
43	Cuba	-	-	-	-	-	-	99.3%
44	Argentina	99.27%	-	-	-	-	-	99.27%
45	Oman	98.13%	-	98.59%	-	-	-	99.09%
46	Uruguay	99.13%	98.9%	98.99%	98.9%	99.07%	-	99.07%
47	United Arab Emirates	-	98.19%	98.47%	98.17%	98.99%	-	98.99%
48	Singapore	98.98%	-	-	-	-	-	98.98%
49	Palestine	98.61%	98.76%	98.77%	-	98.81%	-	98.81%
50	Samoa	-	-	-	-	-	-	98.61%
51	Maldives	-	-	-	-	-	-	98.55%
52	Philippines	98.49%	-	-	-	-	-	98.49%
53	Türkiye	-	98.48%	-	-	-	-	98.48%
54	China	98.44%	-	-	-	-	-	98.44%
55	Albania	-	-	-	98.51%	-	-	98.4%
56	Mongolia	99.25%	99.05%	98.54%	98.35%	-	-	98.35%
57	Bahrain	-	-	98.46%	98.38%	98.29%	-	98.29%
58	Mauritius	-	94.52%	-	96.01%	-	-	98.23%
59	Saudi Arabia	98.02%	-	-	-	97.72%	-	98.22%
60	Chile	-	-	98.1%	-	-	-	98.1%
61	Macau	-	-	-	-	-	-	98.02%
62	Venezuela	-	-	-	-	-	-	97.84%
63	Bolivia	95.7%	96.4%	-	97.24%	-	-	97.74%
64	Suriname	-	-	-	-	-	-	97.6%
65	Vietnam	-	-	96.46%	-	-	-	97.07%
66	Mexico	96.3%	96.81%	96.2%	96.91%	96.88%	96.99%	96.99%
67	Panama	-	97.1%	97%	96.9%	96.98%	-	96.98%
68	Indonesia	96.97%	-	-	-	-	-	96.97%
69	Malaysia	-	-	96.74%	-	-	-	96.74%
70	Kuwait	96.7%	-	-	-	-	-	96.7%
71	Colombia	96.47%	96.4%	96.2%	96.4%	96.46%	-	96.46%
72	Paraguay	95.8%	95.8%	95.7%	96.3%	96.42%	-	96.42%
73	Brazil	95.7%	95.8%	95.6%	95.7%	95.94%	-	95.94%
74	Jordan	-	-	-	95.61%	-	-	95.29%
75	Ecuador	95.19%	95.74%	97.3%	95.2%	-	-	95.2%
76	Syria	-	95.14%	-	-	-	-	95.14%
77	Peru	95.2%	94.6%	94.6%	95%	95.09%	-	95.09%
78	Qatar	-	-	-	-	-	-	94.97%
79	Dominican Republic	94.3%	94.5%	94.7%	95.2%	94.7%	-	94.7%
80	Myanmar	94.24%	-	-	-	-	-	93.74%
81	Zimbabwe	-	-	-	-	-	-	93.62%
82	Sri Lanka	93.28%	93.28%	93.52%	93.54%	-	-	93.54%
83	Thailand	-	-	93.12%	-	-	-	93.12%
84	Lebanon	-	-	-	-	-	-	92.95%
85	Puerto Rico	-	-	-	-	-	-	92.39%
86	South Africa	-	91.27%	-	-	92.6%	-	92.1%
87	Cape Verde	-	-	-	-	91.21%	-	91.89%
88	Iran	90.53%	91.11%	91.33%	91.7%	-	-	91.7%
89	Lesotho	-	-	-	-	90.67%	-	91.67%
90	Eswatini	-	-	91.58%	-	-	-	91.58%
91	El Salvador	91.31%	90.3%	90.6%	91.41%	91.22%	-	91.22%
92	Honduras	-	-	88.28%	87.85%	89.57%	-	90.57%
93	Tunisia	-	87.05%	88.68%	89.48%	-	-	90.48%
94	Namibia	-	-	-	88.84%	-	-	88.84%
95	Marshall Islands	-	95.54%	-	-	-	-	88.82%
96	Gabon	-	88.69%	-	-	-	-	88.69%
97	Vanuatu	91.61%	-	-	88.24%	-	-	87.74%
98	Kenya	-	-	-	-	-	-	87.25%
99	Guyana	86.84%	-	-	-	-	-	86.84%
100	Sao Tome and Principe	-	-	-	-	-	-	86.01%
101	Uganda	-	75.66%	-	-	-	-	85.51%
102	Iraq	-	83.18%	-	-	-	-	83.18%
103	Belize	-	-	86.32%	-	-	-	83.14%
104	Botswana	-	-	-	-	-	-	82.63%
105	Zambia	-	79.34%	79.28%	81.54%	-	-	82.54%
106	Nicaragua	-	-	-	-	-	-	82.09%
107	Guatemala	-	-	82.08%	86.4%	81.77%	-	81.77%
108	Congo	-	-	-	-	-	-	81.65%
109	India	71.94%	72.92%	73.24%	80.06%	-	-	81.06%
110	Tonga	-	-	-	-	-	-	80.49%
111	Rwanda	77.48%	-	76.82%	-	-	-	77.82%
112	Egypt	-	79.39%	76.47%	-	-	-	77.47%
113	Timor-Leste	-	-	71.25%	-	-	-	77.46%
114	Tanzania	82.82%	-	77.32%	-	-	-	77.32%
115	Bangladesh	71.29%	73.03%	76.11%	-	-	-	77.11%
116	Equatorial Guinea	-	-	-	-	-	-	75.04%
117	Laos	-	-	-	75.52%	-	-	75.02%
118	Comoros	-	72.43%	-	-	-	-	72.43%
119	Algeria	-	-	-	-	-	-	72.25%
120	Guinea-Bissau	-	-	58.03%	-	-	-	71.56%
121	Cambodia	81.16%	71.74%	-	-	-	-	71.24%
122	Cameroon	-	-	-	-	-	-	71.04%
123	Togo	-	-	67.98%	-	-	-	68.98%
124	Nigeria	-	60.72%	-	-	67.57%	-	68.57%
125	Haiti	-	-	-	-	-	-	68.41%
126	Malawi	67.98%	-	-	-	-	-	67.48%
127	Madagascar	-	72.46%	-	-	-	-	67.44%
128	Nepal	-	-	-	-	-	-	67.21%
129	Burundi	65.67%	-	-	-	-	-	66.67%
130	Ghana	-	64.84%	-	-	-	-	65.84%
131	Angola	-	-	-	-	-	-	63.13%
132	Sudan	-	-	-	-	-	-	62.96%
133	DR Congo	63.19%	-	-	-	-	-	62.69%
134	Bhutan	-	-	61.27%	-	-	-	61.43%
135	Mozambique	56.36%	-	58.92%	-	-	-	59.92%
136	Liberia	-	-	-	-	-	-	57.54%
137	Pakistan	-	54.81%	-	-	-	-	55.81%
138	Morocco	-	-	-	-	-	-	55.13%
139	Ethiopia	-	45.56%	51.08%	-	-	-	52.08%
140	Ivory Coast	-	44.8%	52.36%	-	-	-	51.86%
141	Mauritania	56.57%	-	-	-	-	-	51.15%
142	Eritrea	-	-	-	-	-	-	48.82%
143	Gambia	-	45.97%	-	-	-	-	46.97%
144	Senegal	-	-	-	44.59%	-	-	45.59%
145	Benin	-	36.1%	43.68%	-	-	-	44.68%
146	Djibouti	-	-	-	-	-	-	42.81%
147	Central African Republic	-	-	-	-	-	-	39.82%
148	Mali	-	-	-	-	-	-	36.69%
149	Chad	-	-	-	-	-	-	36.64%
150	Guinea	-	-	-	-	-	-	34.72%
151	Sierra Leone	-	-	-	-	-	-	33.72%
152	Burkina Faso	-	28.05%	32.29%	29.82%	-	-	30.82%
153	Somalia	-	-	45.39%	-	-	-	30.15%
154	Niger	-	-	28.58%	-	-	-	28.92%
155	South Sudan	-	-	-	-	-	-	27.47%
156	Afghanistan	26.45%	27.3%	-	-	-	-	27.3%

Methodology

This analysis examines adult literacy rates for the 25-64 age group across 363 countries and territories, utilizing data from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) spanning 2000-2025. The projection methodology employs individual country assessment rather than uniform formulas, recognizing that each nation's literacy trajectory reflects unique circumstances and development patterns.

For countries with multiple recent data points (2020-2025), we analyzed historical trends to identify patterns of improvement, stability, or decline. Countries showing consistent upward trends received modest growth projections reflecting their development trajectory, while those with stable patterns were projected to maintain current levels. Saturation effects were applied to countries with very high literacy rates (above 90%), recognizing that reaching near-universal literacy becomes increasingly difficult as rates approach 100%.

Countries with limited recent data were evaluated using regional benchmarks and comparable country analysis. For instance, countries in the Nordic region with older data were assessed against current Nordic literacy levels, while African countries were compared with regional peers at similar development stages. Economic development level, education system quality, and historical education investment patterns informed these assessments.

Methodology changes in UNESCO data were identified and addressed by using only post-change data for projection purposes. Countries experiencing significant data jumps were analyzed separately, with projections based on the more recent methodology. For countries with very old data (pre-2015), we considered the nation's development trajectory over the intervening years, including education system reforms, infrastructure investment, and economic growth patterns.

These projections represent scenario-based estimates reflecting likely literacy development based on historical patterns and country circumstances, not official forecasts or precise predictions. The 2026 estimates indicate probable direction and magnitude of change, accounting for realistic growth constraints and saturation effects. Values are rounded to reflect the inherent uncertainty in long-term projections and the qualitative nature of the assessment methodology.