Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in El Salvador

El Salvador: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes was 92.8% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
92.8%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
27th
of 41 countries
All-time high
92.8%
in 2018
All-time low
85.6%
in 1992
Years of data
12
1992–2018

Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in El Salvador, 1992–2018

0204060801001992200520181992: 85.6 %2006: 89.5 %2007: 88.1 %2008: 88.9 %2009: 89.6 %2010: 90.1 %2011: 90.9 %2013: 91.5 %2015: 92.4 %2016: 92.5 %2017: 92.7 %2018: 92.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

El Salvador recorded 92.8% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in 2018. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.

The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in El Salvador peaked at 92.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 85.6%, in 1992.

El Salvador ranks 27th of 41 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.

Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in El Salvador, year by year

Annual values for Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes (%) in El Salvador, 1992 to 2018.
Year % Change
1992 85.6%
2006 89.5% +4.5%
2007 88.1% -1.6%
2008 88.9% +1.0%
2009 89.6% +0.8%
2010 90.1% +0.6%
2011 90.9% +0.8%
2013 91.5% +0.7%
2015 92.4% +0.9%
2016 92.5% +0.1%
2017 92.7% +0.2%
2018 92.8% +0.2%

El Salvador compared with similar countries

  • El Salvador's 92.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.9%, 97% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
  • El Salvador's 92.8% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 96.4%, 96% of the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 85.6% 85.6% 85.6% 1
2000s 89.0% 88.1% 89.6% 4
2010s 91.8% 90.1% 92.8% 7

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 24 Sri Lanka 93.9% compare
  2. 25 Qatar 93.5% compare
  3. 26 Honduras 92.8% compare
  4. 28 South Africa 91.6% compare
  5. 29 Cambodia 91.3% compare
  6. 30 Iran, Islamic Republic of 89.5% compare

See the full ranking of 41 places →

More reference data data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in El Salvador?
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in El Salvador was 92.8% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 92.8% in 2018.
What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 85.6% in 1992.
How does El Salvador rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes?
El Salvador ranks 27th out of 41 countries with data for 2018.
Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this El Salvador data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in El Salvador. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/adult-literacy-rate-population-15-years-urban-both-sexes-percent/el-salvador/

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About this data

Indicator
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
41 places, 376 data points, 1976–2019
Last refreshed

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/