* indicates monthly or quarterly data series

Literacy rate, 2021:

The average for 2021 based on 10 countries was 88.41 percent. The highest value was in Uzbekistan: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Afghanistan: 37.27 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Measure: percent; Source: UNESCO
Select indicator
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Countries Literacy rate, 2021 Global rank Available data
Uzbekistan 100 1 2000 - 2022
Jordan 98.42 2 1979 - 2021
UA Emirates 98.13 3 1975 - 2022
Maldives 97.86 4 1977 - 2021
Brunei 97.59 5 1981 - 2021
Macao 97.11 6 1981 - 2021
Thailand 94.1 7 1980 - 2021
Sri Lanka 92.43 8 1981 - 2021
Nepal 71.15 9 1981 - 2021
Afghanistan 37.27 10 1979 - 2021



Definition: Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.

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