Data / Rankings / Adult literacy rate / Countries

Countries by adult literacy rate

Latvia had the highest adult literacy rate of 53 countries in 2011, at 99.9%. Mali had the lowest, at 30.6%. The median was 94.5% and the figure for the World was 84.7%. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

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Highest99.9Latvia
Lowest30.6Mali
Median94.553 countries
World84.7History

Map of countries, 2011

Afghanistan: 31.5 %Albania: 96.8 %Armenia: 99.7 %Azerbaijan: 99.8 %Bangladesh: 58.8 %Bulgaria: 98.3 %Benin: 44.7 %Brunei: 96.1 %Bolivia: 92.2 %Brazil: 91.4 %Chile: 96.7 %Colombia: 93.6 %Costa Rica: 97.4 %Cyprus: 98.7 %Dominican Republic: 90.1 %Ecuador: 91.6 %Estonia: 99.9 %Spain: 97.8 %Honduras: 85.1 %Indonesia: 92.8 %India: 69.3 %Iran: 83.5 %Italy: 98.8 %Jordan: 95.9 %Lithuania: 99.8 %Latvia: 99.9 %Morocco: 67.1 %Montenegro: 98.4 %Mali: 30.6 %Mauritius: 89.3 %Mexico: 93.5 %Namibia: 88.3 %Nepal: 59.6 %Pakistan: 54.7 %Palestine: 95 %Portugal: 94.5 %Qatar: 96.4 %Romania: 98.6 %Serbia: 98 %Singapore: 96.2 %Senegal: 51.8 %El Salvador: 85.5 %Togo: 60.4 %Tunisia: 79.7 %Türkiye: 94.1 %Uruguay: 98.3 %Venezuela: 94.8 %Samoa: 99 %South Africa: 93.1 %
  • Under 67
  • 67 to 90
  • 90 to 94
  • 94 to 97
  • 97 to 99
  • 99 and over
  • No data
%, 2011. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS) via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All countries, 2011

Latvia: 99.9 %Latvia99.9Estonia: 99.9 %Estonia99.9Lithuania: 99.8 %Lithuania99.8Azerbaijan: 99.8 %Azerbaijan99.8Armenia: 99.7 %Armenia99.7Tonga: 99.4 %Tonga99.4Samoa: 99 %Samoa99Italy: 98.8 %Italy98.8Cyprus: 98.7 %Cyprus98.7Romania: 98.6 %Romania98.6Montenegro: 98.4 %Montenegro98.4Bulgaria: 98.3 %Bulgaria98.3Uruguay: 98.3 %Uruguay98.3Marshall Islands: 98.3 %Marshall Islands98.3Serbia: 98 %Serbia98Spain: 97.8 %Spain97.8Costa Rica: 97.4 %Costa Rica97.4Albania: 96.8 %Albania96.8Chile: 96.7 %Chile96.7Qatar: 96.4 %Qatar96.4Singapore: 96.2 %Singapore96.2Brunei: 96.1 %Brunei96.1Jordan: 95.9 %Jordan95.9Macao: 95.6 %Macao95.6Palestine: 95 %Palestine95Venezuela: 94.8 %Venezuela94.8Portugal: 94.5 %Portugal94.5Türkiye: 94.1 %Türkiye94.1Colombia: 93.6 %Colombia93.6Mexico: 93.5 %Mexico93.5Malta: 93.3 %Malta93.3South Africa: 93.1 %South Africa93.1Indonesia: 92.8 %Indonesia92.8Bolivia: 92.2 %Bolivia92.2Ecuador: 91.6 %Ecuador91.6Brazil: 91.4 %Brazil91.4Dominican Republic: 90.1 %Dominican Republic90.1Mauritius: 89.3 %Mauritius89.3Namibia: 88.3 %Namibia88.3El Salvador: 85.5 %El Salvador85.5Honduras: 85.1 %Honduras85.1Iran: 83.5 %Iran83.5Tunisia: 79.7 %Tunisia79.7India: 69.3 %India69.3Morocco: 67.1 %Morocco67.1Togo: 60.4 %Togo60.4Nepal: 59.6 %Nepal59.6Bangladesh: 58.8 %Bangladesh58.8Pakistan: 54.7 %Pakistan54.7Senegal: 51.8 %Senegal51.8Benin: 44.7 %Benin44.7Afghanistan: 31.5 %Afghanistan31.5Mali: 30.6 %Mali30.6Latvia: 99.9 %Latvia99.9Estonia: 99.9 %Estonia99.9Lithuania: 99.8 %Lithuania99.8Azerbaijan: 99.8 %Azerbaijan99.8Armenia: 99.7 %Armenia99.7Tonga: 99.4 %Tonga99.4Samoa: 99 %Samoa99Italy: 98.8 %Italy98.8Cyprus: 98.7 %Cyprus98.7Romania: 98.6 %Romania98.6Montenegro: 98.4 %Montenegro98.4Bulgaria: 98.3 %Bulgaria98.3Uruguay: 98.3 %Uruguay98.3Marshall Islands: 98.3 %Marshall Islands98.3Serbia: 98 %Serbia98Spain: 97.8 %Spain97.8Costa Rica: 97.4 %Costa Rica97.4Albania: 96.8 %Albania96.8Chile: 96.7 %Chile96.7Qatar: 96.4 %Qatar96.4Singapore: 96.2 %Singapore96.2Brunei: 96.1 %Brunei96.1Jordan: 95.9 %Jordan95.9Macao: 95.6 %Macao95.6Palestine: 95 %Palestine95Venezuela: 94.8 %Venezuela94.8Portugal: 94.5 %Portugal94.5Türkiye: 94.1 %Türkiye94.1Colombia: 93.6 %Colombia93.6Mexico: 93.5 %Mexico93.5Malta: 93.3 %Malta93.3South Africa: 93.1 %South Africa93.1Indonesia: 92.8 %Indonesia92.8Bolivia: 92.2 %Bolivia92.2Ecuador: 91.6 %Ecuador91.6Brazil: 91.4 %Brazil91.4Dominican Republic: 90.1 %Dominican Republic90.1Mauritius: 89.3 %Mauritius89.3Namibia: 88.3 %Namibia88.3El Salvador: 85.5 %El Salvador85.5Honduras: 85.1 %Honduras85.1Iran: 83.5 %Iran83.5Tunisia: 79.7 %Tunisia79.7India: 69.3 %India69.3Morocco: 67.1 %Morocco67.1Togo: 60.4 %Togo60.4Nepal: 59.6 %Nepal59.6Bangladesh: 58.8 %Bangladesh58.8Pakistan: 54.7 %Pakistan54.7Senegal: 51.8 %Senegal51.8Benin: 44.7 %Benin44.7Afghanistan: 31.5 %Afghanistan31.5Mali: 30.6 %Mali30.6
%. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS) via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCountries2011 (%)Change on 2010
1Latvia99.9n/a
2Estonia99.9n/a
3Lithuania99.8n/a
4Azerbaijan99.80 pts
5Armenia99.7n/a
6Tonga99.4n/a
7Samoa99n/a
8Italy98.8n/a
9Cyprus98.7n/a
10Romania98.6n/a
11Montenegro98.4n/a
12Bulgaria98.3n/a
13Uruguay98.3+0.3 pts
14Marshall Islands98.3n/a
15Serbia98n/a
16Spain97.80 pts
17Costa Rica97.4n/a
18Albania96.8n/a
19Chile96.7n/a
20Qatar96.4+0.1 pts
21Singapore96.2+0.3 pts
22Brunei96.1n/a
23Jordan95.9+3.3 pts
24Macao95.6n/a
25Palestine95+0.3 pts
26Venezuela94.8-0.6 pts
27Portugal94.5n/a
28Türkiye94.1+1.4 pts
29Colombia93.6+0.2 pts
30Mexico93.5+0.4 pts
31Malta93.3n/a
32South Africa93.1+0.2 pts
33Indonesia92.8+0.5 pts
34Bolivia92.2n/a
35Ecuador91.6-0.3 pts
36Brazil91.4+1 pts
37Dominican Republic90.1+0.6 pts
38Mauritius89.3n/a
39Namibia88.3n/a
40El Salvador85.5+1 pts
41Honduras85.1+0.4 pts
42Iran83.5-0.1 pts
43Tunisia79.7+0.5 pts
44India69.3+1 pts
45Morocco67.1n/a
46Togo60.4+3.2 pts
47Nepal59.6n/a
48Bangladesh58.8n/a
49Pakistan54.7-0.6 pts
50Senegal51.8n/a
51Benin44.7n/a
52Afghanistan31.5n/a
53Mali30.6-0.5 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 15 and over who can both read and write, with understanding, a short simple statement about their everyday life, as a percentage of the population 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. 117 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2011 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 total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2026). Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS) (Countries by adult literacy rate, 2011) [Data set]. World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS

MLA 9

Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS), Countries by adult literacy rate, 2011. UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. World Bank, World Development Indicators, https://data.worldbank.org. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-literacy-rate/countries?period=2011. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

UNESCO Institute for Statistics. 2026. Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Countries by adult literacy rate, 2011. Dataset. Distributed by World Bank, World Development Indicators. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-literacy-rate/countries?period=2011.

Harvard

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS), Countries by adult literacy rate, 2011 [Dataset]. Via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-literacy-rate/countries?period=2011 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{unesco_countries_by_adult_literacy_2011,
  author = {{UNESCO Institute for Statistics}},
  title = {{Literacy rate, adult total, \% of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS): Countries by adult literacy rate, 2011}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  publisher = {World Bank, World Development Indicators},
  url = {https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Retrieved through World Bank, World Development Indicators (https://data.worldbank.org). Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-literacy-rate/countries?period=2011. Publisher attribution: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Literacy rate, adult total, \% of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - UNESCO Institute for Statistics
TI  - Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS): Countries by adult literacy rate, 2011
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
PB  - World Bank, World Development Indicators
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-literacy-rate/countries?period=2011
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Retrieved through World Bank, World Development Indicators (https://data.worldbank.org).
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-literacy-rate/countries?period=2011.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.
ER  -
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Questions

Which country has the highest adult literacy rate?

Latvia, with 99.9% in 2011, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Which country has the lowest adult literacy rate?

Mali, with 30.6% in 2011.

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 total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 117 countries have no value for 2011 and are not ranked.

Adult literacy rate: other rankings

Countries: more rankings