This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates are based on the most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the ability to read and write is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons. Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world.

List in alphabetical order

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES

Rank		Country	Value		Date of Info
1	.	Norway	100.00		NA
2	.	Luxembourg	100.00		2000 est.
3	.	Liechtenstein	100.00		NA
4	.	Finland	100.00		2000 est.
5	.	Greenland	100.00		2001 est.
6	.	Holy See (Vatican City)	100.00		NA
7	.	Andorra	100.00		NA
8	.	Latvia	99.80		2010 est.
9	.	Cuba	99.80		2002 census
10	.	Estonia	99.80		2010 census
11	.	Azerbaijan	99.80		2010 census
12	.	Slovenia	99.70		2010 est.
13	.	Tajikistan	99.70		2010 est.
14	.	Ukraine	99.70		2010 est.
15	.	Lithuania	99.70		2010 est.
16	.	Samoa	99.70		2003 est.
17	.	Georgia	99.70		2010 est.
18	.	Barbados	99.70		2002 est.
19	.	Slovakia	99.60		2004
20	.	Russia	99.60		2010 est.
21	.	Armenia	99.60		2010 est.
22	.	Belarus	99.60		2009 census
23	.	Poland	99.50		2010 est.
24	.	Kazakhstan	99.50		1999 est.
25	.	Uzbekistan	99.30		2003 est.
26	.	Sweden	99.00		2003 est.
27	.	Switzerland	99.00		2003 est.
28	.	United Kingdom	99.00		2003 est.
29	.	United States	99.00		2003 est.
30	.	New Zealand	99.00		2003 est.
31	.	Monaco	99.00		2003 est.
32	.	Netherlands	99.00		2003 est.
33	.	Denmark	99.00		2003 est.
34	.	Czech Republic	99.00		2011 census
35	.	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	99.00		1982 est.
36	.	Korea, North	99.00		1991 est.
37	.	Ireland	99.00		2003 est.
38	.	Japan	99.00		2002
39	.	Canada	99.00		2003 est.
40	.	France	99.00		2003 est.
41	.	Germany	99.00		2003 est.
42	.	Iceland	99.00		2003 est.
43	.	Hungary	99.00		2010 est.
44	.	Guam	99.00		1990 est.
45	.	Australia	99.00		2003 est.
46	.	Belgium	99.00		2003 est.
47	.	Tonga	98.90		1999 est.
48	.	Turkmenistan	98.80		1999 est.
49	.	Croatia	98.80		2010 est.
50	.	Kyrgyzstan	98.70		1999 census
51	.	Albania	98.70		2001 census
52	.	Trinidad and Tobago	98.60		2003 est.
53	.	Moldova	98.50		2010 est.
54	.	Montenegro	98.40		2010 est.
55	.	Italy	98.40		2001 census
56	.	Bulgaria	98.40		2011
57	.	Argentina	98.10		2010 census
58	.	Turks and Caicos Islands	98.00		1970 est.
59	.	Uruguay	98.00		2003 est.
60	.	Cayman Islands	98.00		1970 est.
61	.	French Polynesia	98.00		1977 est.
62	.	Bermuda	98.00		2005 est.
63	.	Austria	98.00		NA
64	.	Serbia	97.90		2010 est.
65	.	Korea, South	97.90		2002
66	.	Bosnia and Herzegovina	97.90		2010 est.
67	.	Saint Kitts and Nevis	97.80		2003 est.
68	.	British Virgin Islands	97.80		1991 est.
69	.	Spain	97.70		2010 est.
70	.	Romania	97.70		2010 est.
71	.	Cyprus	97.60		2001 census
72	.	Mongolia	97.40		2010 est.
73	.	Macedonia	97.30		2010 est.
74	.	Aruba	97.30		2000 census
75	.	Israel	97.10		2004 est.
76	.	Northern Mariana Islands	97.00		1980 est.
77	.	Montserrat	97.00		1970 est.
78	.	Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha	97.00		1987 est.
79	.	American Samoa	97.00		1980 est.
80	.	Qatar	96.30		2010 est.
81	.	New Caledonia	96.20		1996 census
82	.	Taiwan	96.10		2003
83	.	San Marino	96.00		NA
84	.	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	96.00		1970 est.
85	.	Grenada	96.00		2003 est.
86	.	Greece	96.00		2001 census
87	.	Chile	95.70		2002 census
88	.	Bahamas, The	95.60		2003 est.
89	.	Portugal	95.20		2010 est.
90	.	Niue	95.00		NA
91	.	Cook Islands	95.00		NA
92	.	Anguilla	95.00		1984 est.
93	.	Costa Rica	94.90		2000 census
94	.	Bahrain	94.60		2010 census
95	.	Puerto Rico	94.10		2002 est.
96	.	Vietnam	94.00		2002 est.
97	.	Paraguay	94.00		2003 est.
98	.	Dominica	94.00		2003 est.
99	.	Equatorial Guinea	93.90		2010 est.
100	.	Maldives	93.80		2006 Census
101	.	Marshall Islands	93.70		1999
102	.	Fiji	93.70		2003 est.
103	.	Hong Kong	93.50		2002
104	.	Kuwait	93.30		2005 census
105	.	Ecuador	93.20		2010 census
106	.	Venezuela	93.00		2001 census
107	.	Peru	92.90		2007 Census
108	.	Malta	92.80		2005 Census
109	.	Brunei	92.70		2001 census
110	.	Thailand	92.60		2000 census
111	.	Philippines	92.60		2000 census
112	.	Jordan	92.60		2010 est.
113	.	Singapore	92.50		2000 census
114	.	West Bank	92.40		2004 est.
115	.	Gaza Strip	92.40		2004 est.
116	.	China	92.20		2007
117	.	Palau	92.00		1980 est.
118	.	Panama	91.90		2000 census
119	.	Kosovo	91.90		2007 Census
120	.	Seychelles	91.80		2002 census
121	.	Guyana	91.80		2002 Census
122	.	Macau	91.30		2001 census
123	.	Sri Lanka	91.20		2010 census
124	.	Zimbabwe	90.70		2003 est.
125	.	Colombia	90.40		2005 census
126	.	Indonesia	90.40		2004 est.
127	.	Saint Lucia	90.10		2001 est.
128	.	Burma	89.90		2006 est.
129	.	Suriname	89.60		2004 census
130	.	Lesotho	89.60		2010 est.
131	.	Libya	89.20		2010 est.
132	.	Micronesia, Federated States of	89.00		1980 est.
133	.	Namibia	88.80		2010 est.
134	.	Malaysia	88.70		2000 census
135	.	Brazil	88.60		2004 est.
136	.	Mauritius	88.50		2010 est.
137	.	Gabon	88.40		2010 est.
138	.	Jamaica	87.90		2003 est.
139	.	Turkey	87.40		2004 est.
140	.	Lebanon	87.40		2003 est.
141	.	Kenya	87.40		2010 est.
142	.	Dominican Republic	87.00		2002 census
143	.	Bolivia	86.70		2001 census
144	.	Saudi Arabia	86.60		2010 est.
145	.	South Africa	86.40		2003 est.
146	.	Mexico	86.10		2005 Census
147	.	Antigua and Barbuda	85.80		2003 est.
148	.	Sao Tome and Principe	84.90		2001 census
149	.	Botswana	84.50		2010 est.
150	.	Cape Verde	84.30		2010 est.
151	.	Congo, Republic of the	83.80		2003 est.
152	.	Swaziland	81.60		2003 est.
153	.	Oman	81.40		2003 census
154	.	El Salvador	81.10		2007 census
155	.	Zambia	80.60		2003 est.
156	.	Gibraltar	80.00		NA
157	.	Honduras	80.00		2001 census
158	.	Syria	79.60		2004 census
159	.	Iraq	78.20		2010 est.
160	.	United Arab Emirates	77.90		2003 est.
161	.	Cambodia	77.60		2008 census
162	.	Iran	77.00		2002 est.
163	.	Belize	76.90		2000 census
164	.	Cameroon	75.90		2001 est.
165	.	Comoros	74.90		2010 est.
166	.	Malawi	74.80		2010 est.
167	.	Tunisia	74.30		2004 census
168	.	Vanuatu	74.00		1999 census
169	.	Laos	73.00		2005 Census
170	.	Egypt	72.00		2010 est.
171	.	Ghana	71.50		2010 census
172	.	Rwanda	71.10		2010 est.
173	.	Angola	70.10		2010 est.
174	.	Algeria	69.90		2002 est.
175	.	Tanzania	69.40		2002 census
176	.	Guatemala	69.10		2002 census
177	.	Djibouti	67.90		2003 est.
178	.	Eritrea	67.80		2010 est.
179	.	Nicaragua	67.50		2003 est.
180	.	Burundi	67.20		2010 est.
181	.	Uganda	66.80		2002 census
182	.	Congo, Democratic Republic of the	66.80		2010 est.
183	.	Madagascar	64.50		2009 est.
184	.	Yemen	63.90		2010 est.
185	.	Nigeria	61.30		2010 est.
186	.	Sudan	61.10		2003 est.
187	.	India	61.00		2001 census
188	.	Togo	60.90		2003 est.
189	.	Liberia	60.80		2010 est.
190	.	Nepal	60.30		2010 census
191	.	Timor-Leste	58.60		2002
192	.	Mauritania	58.00		2010 est.
193	.	Papua New Guinea	57.30		2000 census
194	.	Bangladesh	56.80		2010 est.
195	.	Cote d'Ivoire	56.20		2010 est.
196	.	Mozambique	56.10		2010 est.
197	.	Morocco	56.10		2009 est.
198	.	Central African Republic	56.00		2010 est.
199	.	Pakistan	54.90		2009 est.
200	.	Guinea-Bissau	54.20		2010 est.
201	.	Haiti	52.90		2003 est.
202	.	Wallis and Futuna	50.00		1969 est.
203	.	Gambia, The	50.00		2010 est.
204	.	Bhutan	47.00		2003 est.
205	.	Ethiopia	42.70		2003 est.
206	.	Benin	42.40		2010 census
207	.	Guinea	41.00		2010 est.
208	.	Senegal	39.30		2002 est.
209	.	Somalia	37.80		2001 est.
210	.	Sierra Leone	35.10		2004 est.
211	.	Chad	34.50		2010 est.
212	.	Niger	28.70		2005 est.
213	.	Afghanistan	28.10		2000 est.
214	.	Mali	27.70		2009 census
215	.	South Sudan	27.00		NA
216	.	Burkina Faso	21.80		2003 est.
217	.	Sint Maarten	NA		NA
218	.	Solomon Islands	NA		NA
219	.	Svalbard	NA		NA
220	.	South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands	NA		NA
221	.	Spratly Islands	NA		NA
222	.	Tokelau	NA		NA
223	.	Tuvalu	NA		NA
224	.	Wake Island	NA		NA
225	.	Virgin Islands	NA		NA
226	.	Western Sahara	NA		NA
227	.	World	NA		NA
228	.	United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges	NA		NA
229	.	Paracel Islands	NA		NA
230	.	Norfolk Island	NA		NA
231	.	Pitcairn Islands	NA		NA
232	.	Nauru	NA		NA
233	.	Mayotte	NA		NA
234	.	Navassa Island	NA		NA
235	.	Dhekelia	NA		NA
236	.	Curacao	NA		NA
237	.	Coral Sea Islands	NA		NA
238	.	Saint Martin	NA		NA
239	.	Saint Barthelemy	NA		NA
240	.	Kiribati	NA		NA
241	.	Isle of Man	NA		NA
242	.	Jersey	NA		NA
243	.	Jan Mayen	NA		NA
244	.	Christmas Island	NA		NA
245	.	Clipperton Island	NA		NA
246	.	Cocos (Keeling) Islands	NA		NA
247	.	Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)	NA		NA
248	.	European Union	NA		NA
249	.	Faroe Islands	NA		NA
250	.	French Southern and Antarctic Lands	NA		NA
251	.	Heard Island and McDonald Islands	NA		NA
252	.	Guernsey	NA		NA
253	.	Akrotiri	NA		NA
254	.	Ashmore and Cartier Islands	NA		NA
255	.	Antarctica	NA		NA
256	.	Bouvet Island	NA		NA
257	.	British Indian Ocean Territory	NA		NA