Data / Rankings / Adult literacy rate, women / Countries

Countries by adult literacy rate, women, 2019

Armenia had the highest adult literacy rate, women of 58 countries in 2019, at 100%. Chad had the lowest, at 18.6%. The median was 93% and the figure for the World was 83.3%. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Highest100Armenia
Lowest18.6Chad
Median9358 countries
World83.3History

All countries, 2019

Armenia: 100 %Armenia100Uzbekistan: 100 %Uzbekistan100Georgia: 99.9 %Georgia99.9Belarus: 99.9 %Belarus99.9Azerbaijan: 99.7 %Azerbaijan99.7Turkmenistan: 99.7 %Turkmenistan99.7Italy: 99.2 %Italy99.2Serbia: 99.1 %Serbia99.1Uruguay: 99 %Uruguay99Mongolia: 98.8 %Mongolia98.8Maldives: 98.3 %Maldives98.3Samoa: 97.7 %Samoa97.7Marshall Islands: 97.6 %Marshall Islands97.6Tonga: 97.6 %Tonga97.6Lesotho: 97.5 %Lesotho97.5United Arab Emirates: 97.1 %United Arab Emirates97.1Philippines: 96.8 %Philippines96.8Cuba: 96.3 %Cuba96.3Singapore: 96.1 %Singapore96.1Palestine: 95.9 %Palestine95.9Colombia: 95.5 %Colombia95.5Panama: 95.4 %Panama95.4Mexico: 94.6 %Mexico94.6Vietnam: 94.6 %Vietnam94.6South Africa: 94.5 %South Africa94.5Türkiye: 94.4 %Türkiye94.4Brazil: 94.1 %Brazil94.1Malaysia: 93.7 %Malaysia93.7Zimbabwe: 93.4 %Zimbabwe93.4Paraguay: 92.7 %Paraguay92.7Vanuatu: 92 %Vanuatu92Sri Lanka: 91.6 %Sri Lanka91.6Thailand: 90.2 %Thailand90.2Lebanon: 89.5 %Lebanon89.5Honduras: 88.7 %Honduras88.7Dominican Republic: 87.4 %Dominican Republic87.4El Salvador: 87.3 %El Salvador87.3Myanmar: 86.3 %Myanmar86.3Cambodia: 84.8 %Cambodia84.8Iran: 83.1 %Iran83.1São Tomé and Príncipe: 82.8 %São Tomé and Príncipe82.8Algeria: 74.2 %Algeria74.2Tunisia: 73.7 %Tunisia73.7Bangladesh: 71.9 %Bangladesh71.9India: 67 %India67Nepal: 59.4 %Nepal59.4Togo: 55 %Togo55Somalia: 53.9 %Somalia53.9Côte d’Ivoire: 47 %Côte d’Ivoire47Pakistan: 46.5 %Pakistan46.5Ethiopia: 44.6 %Ethiopia44.6Guinea-Bissau: 40.3 %Guinea-Bissau40.3Senegal: 38.5 %Senegal38.5Benin: 38.1 %Benin38.1Sierra Leone: 33.9 %Sierra Leone33.9Central African Republic: 27.1 %Central African Republic27.1Burkina Faso: 24.7 %Burkina Faso24.7Chad: 18.6 %Chad18.6
%. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Literacy rate, adult female, % of females ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.FE.ZS) via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCountries2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Armenia1000 pts
1Uzbekistan1000 pts
3Georgia99.9+0.3 pts
4Belarus99.9n/a
5Azerbaijan99.7n/a
6Turkmenistan99.7n/a
7Italy99.2n/a
8Serbia99.1n/a
9Uruguay990 pts
10Mongolia98.8+0.8 pts
11Maldives98.3n/a
12Samoa97.7n/a
13Marshall Islands97.6n/a
14Tonga97.6-2.4 pts
15Lesotho97.5+5.8 pts
16United Arab Emirates97.1n/a
17Philippines96.8n/a
18Cuba96.3n/a
19Singapore96.1+0.2 pts
20Palestine95.9+0.2 pts
21Colombia95.5+0.2 pts
22Panama95.4+0.5 pts
23Mexico94.6-0 pts
24Vietnam94.6n/a
25South Africa94.5n/a
26Türkiye94.4n/a
27Brazil94.1+0.7 pts
28Malaysia93.7+0.2 pts
29Zimbabwe93.4n/a
30Paraguay92.7-0.9 pts
31Vanuatu92n/a
32Sri Lanka91.6+0.8 pts
33Thailand90.2-2.3 pts
34Lebanon89.5-0.7 pts
35Honduras88.7+1.5 pts
36Dominican Republic87.4-6.1 pts
37El Salvador87.3+0.1 pts
38Myanmar86.3n/a
39Cambodia84.8n/a
40Iran83.1+0.6 pts
41São Tomé and Príncipe82.8n/a
42Algeria74.2n/a
43Tunisia73.7+2.1 pts
44Bangladesh71.9+0.8 pts
45India67+1.8 pts
46Nepal59.4n/a
47Togo55n/a
48Somalia53.9n/a
49Côte d’Ivoire47n/a
50Pakistan46.5+1.1 pts
51Ethiopia44.6n/a
52Guinea-Bissau40.3n/a
53Senegal38.5-2.1 pts
54Benin38.1n/a
55Sierra Leone33.9-6.7 pts
56Central African Republic27.1n/a
57Burkina Faso24.7-6.4 pts
58Chad18.6n/a

Other periods

About this ranking

Women aged 15 and over who can both read and write, with understanding, a short simple statement about their everyday life, as a percentage of women aged 15 and over. UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

UIS figures from censuses, household surveys and UIS model estimates. Most high-income countries stopped measuring literacy decades ago, so they have no value; a missing value is not a rate of 0 or 100. Countries report in different years, so a ranking for one year covers only some countries.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. 113 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2019 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Literacy rate, adult female, % of females ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.FE.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.FE.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.

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Questions

Which country has the highest adult literacy rate, women?

Armenia, with 100% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Which country has the lowest adult literacy rate, women?

Chad, with 18.6% in 2019.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Literacy rate, adult female, % of females ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.FE.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 113 countries have no value for 2019 and are not ranked.

Adult literacy rate, women: other rankings

Countries: more rankings