Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes (%) by country
Total number of adults in urban areas over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/
What the numbers show
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes (%) is currently reported for 41 countries. The highest value is 100.0% in Uzbekistan; the lowest is 60.6% in Mali.
The median across all reporting countries is 95.8%, and the mean is 90.9%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 35 countries rose and 6 fell. The largest increase was in Mali (up 28.2%), and the largest decrease in South Africa (down 4.9%).
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uzbekistan | 100.0% | 2018 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 2 | Azerbaijan | 99.8% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 3 | Republic of Moldova | 99.5% | 2014 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 4 | Argentina | 99.0% | 2018 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 5 | Uruguay | 98.8% | 2018 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 6 | Spain | 98.6% | 2018 | up 0.6% | flat |
| 7 | Greece | 98.2% | 2011 | up 1.1% | flat |
| 8 | Indonesia | 97.6% | 2018 | up 2.2% | flat |
| 9 | Palestine, State of | 97.4% | 2018 | up 2.9% | flat |
| 10 | Singapore | 97.3% | 2018 | up 1.6% | flat |
| 11 | Kuwait | 97.3% | 2018 | up 3.6% | flat |
| 12 | Chile | 97.1% | 2017 | down 1.3% | flat |
| 13 | Mexico | 97.1% | 2018 | up 1.7% | rising |
| 14 | Colombia | 96.8% | 2018 | up 1.1% | flat |
| 15 | Ecuador | 96.7% | 2017 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 16 | Peru | 96.6% | 2018 | up 1.8% | flat |
| 17 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 96.2% | 2015 | up 0.3% | rising |
| 18 | Türkiye | 96.2% | 2015 | up 5.4% | rising |
| 19 | Paraguay | 95.9% | 2018 | down 0.5% | flat |
| 20 | Malaysia | 95.9% | 2018 | up 0.8% | rising |
| 21 | Thailand | 95.8% | 2018 | down 0.8% | flat |
| 22 | Dominican Republic | 95.1% | 2016 | up 3.8% | flat |
| 23 | Brazil | 94.9% | 2018 | up 2.6% | rising |
| 24 | Sri Lanka | 93.9% | 2018 | up 0.9% | flat |
| 25 | Qatar | 93.5% | 2017 | up 3.8% | rising |
| 26 | Honduras | 92.8% | 2018 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 27 | El Salvador | 92.8% | 2018 | up 4.4% | rising |
| 28 | South Africa | 91.6% | 2017 | down 4.9% | flat |
| 29 | Cambodia | 91.3% | 2015 | up 9.0% | rising |
| 30 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 89.5% | 2016 | up 2.3% | rising |
| 31 | Guatemala | 89.4% | 2014 | up 9.0% | rising |
| 32 | Tunisia | 85.9% | 2014 | up 2.2% | flat |
| 33 | Uganda | 83.9% | 2012 | down 4.1% | flat |
| 34 | Bangladesh | 82.2% | 2019 | up 17.1% | rising |
| 35 | Mozambique | 81.1% | 2017 | up 10.4% | rising |
| 36 | Egypt | 80.3% | 2017 | up 10.2% | rising |
| 37 | Morocco | 78.8% | 2012 | up 17.6% | rising |
| 38 | Pakistan | 75.7% | 2017 | up 7.9% | rising |
| 39 | Burkina Faso | 64.2% | 2014 | up 14.1% | rising |
| 40 | Senegal | 60.9% | 2017 | up 1.7% | flat |
| 41 | Mali | 60.6% | 2018 | up 28.2% | rising |
About this data
Total number of adults in urban areas over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/