Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, urban, both sexes (%) by country
Percentage of the population age 65 and above in urban areas who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of...
What the numbers show
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, urban, both sexes (%) is currently reported for 40 countries. The highest value is 100.0% in Uzbekistan; the lowest is 24.1% in Burkina Faso.
The median across all reporting countries is 79.6%, and the mean is 73.5%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 4.
Over the past decade 36 countries rose and 4 fell. The largest increase was in Morocco (up 111.5%), and the largest decrease in South Africa (down 12.1%).
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, urban, both sexes: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uzbekistan | 100.0% | 2018 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 2 | Republic of Moldova | 98.4% | 2014 | up 4.4% | rising |
| 3 | Azerbaijan | 98.4% | 2017 | up 0.9% | rising |
| 4 | Uruguay | 98.0% | 2018 | up 1.7% | rising |
| 5 | Argentina | 97.6% | 2018 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 6 | Spain | 95.6% | 2018 | up 2.9% | flat |
| 7 | Greece | 95.0% | 2011 | up 5.5% | rising |
| 8 | Chile | 92.6% | 2017 | up 1.7% | flat |
| 9 | Colombia | 87.8% | 2018 | up 6.5% | rising |
| 10 | Sri Lanka | 87.5% | 2018 | up 3.9% | rising |
| 11 | Mexico | 86.6% | 2018 | up 8.7% | rising |
| 12 | Singapore | 86.4% | 2018 | up 14.1% | rising |
| 13 | Ecuador | 85.7% | 2017 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 14 | Peru | 85.7% | 2018 | up 8.4% | rising |
| 15 | Thailand | 84.1% | 2015 | up 4.3% | rising |
| 16 | Brazil | 82.4% | 2018 | up 11.3% | rising |
| 17 | Dominican Republic | 82.4% | 2016 | up 10.4% | rising |
| 18 | Indonesia | 81.6% | 2018 | up 21.1% | rising |
| 19 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 80.3% | 2015 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 20 | Malaysia | 79.7% | 2018 | up 20.4% | rising |
| 21 | Türkiye | 79.5% | 2015 | up 26.2% | rising |
| 22 | Palestine, State of | 78.7% | 2018 | up 38.4% | rising |
| 23 | Paraguay | 78.3% | 2018 | down 7.8% | flat |
| 24 | El Salvador | 76.1% | 2018 | up 22.5% | rising |
| 25 | Honduras | 73.3% | 2018 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 26 | South Africa | 73.2% | 2017 | down 12.1% | rising |
| 27 | Qatar | 70.5% | 2017 | up 39.7% | rising |
| 28 | Kuwait | 67.8% | 2018 | up 18.2% | rising |
| 29 | Cambodia | 67.0% | 2015 | up 36.5% | rising |
| 30 | Guatemala | 65.8% | 2014 | up 14.1% | flat |
| 31 | Bangladesh | 53.2% | 2019 | up 30.5% | rising |
| 32 | Tunisia | 51.1% | 2014 | up 84.2% | rising |
| 33 | Egypt | 50.8% | 2017 | up 59.7% | rising |
| 34 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 46.7% | 2016 | up 25.7% | rising |
| 35 | Uganda | 44.9% | 2012 | down 6.6% | rising |
| 36 | Pakistan | 44.0% | 2017 | up 14.6% | rising |
| 37 | Morocco | 42.5% | 2012 | up 111.5% | rising |
| 38 | Senegal | 33.8% | 2017 | up 17.0% | rising |
| 39 | Mali | 33.4% | 2018 | up 44.0% | rising |
| 40 | Burkina Faso | 24.1% | 2014 | up 45.8% | rising |
About this data
Percentage of the population age 65 and above in urban areas who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of literates aged 65 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/