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 by rank

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES

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