Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes (%) by country
Percentage of the population in urban areas between age 25 and age 64 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...
What the numbers show
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes (%) is currently reported for 39 countries. The highest value is 100.0% in Uzbekistan; the lowest is 52.3% in Senegal.
The median across all reporting countries is 96.7%, 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 31 countries rose and 8 fell. The largest increase was in Mali (up 38.2%), and the largest decrease in Senegal (down 9.1%).
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uzbekistan | 100.0% | 2018 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 2 | Azerbaijan | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 3 | Republic of Moldova | 99.7% | 2014 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 4 | Spain | 99.3% | 2018 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 5 | Argentina | 99.2% | 2018 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 6 | Singapore | 99.1% | 2018 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 7 | Greece | 98.9% | 2011 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 8 | Uruguay | 98.9% | 2018 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 9 | Kuwait | 98.8% | 2018 | up 5.3% | rising |
| 10 | Indonesia | 98.5% | 2018 | up 1.8% | flat |
| 11 | Mexico | 97.9% | 2018 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 12 | Chile | 97.7% | 2017 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 13 | Palestine, State of | 97.6% | 2018 | up 2.9% | flat |
| 14 | Colombia | 97.6% | 2018 | up 1.1% | flat |
| 15 | Ecuador | 97.5% | 2017 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 16 | Türkiye | 97.5% | 2015 | up 6.0% | rising |
| 17 | Malaysia | 97.4% | 2018 | up 1.1% | rising |
| 18 | Peru | 97.2% | 2018 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 19 | Paraguay | 97.1% | 2018 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 20 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 96.7% | 2015 | up 0.5% | rising |
| 21 | Brazil | 96.1% | 2018 | up 3.2% | rising |
| 22 | Dominican Republic | 95.6% | 2016 | up 4.5% | rising |
| 23 | Thailand | 95.3% | 2018 | down 1.7% | flat |
| 24 | El Salvador | 94.1% | 2018 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 25 | Sri Lanka | 93.8% | 2018 | up 0.9% | flat |
| 26 | Honduras | 93.6% | 2018 | up 2.0% | flat |
| 27 | Qatar | 93.5% | 2017 | up 4.8% | rising |
| 28 | South Africa | 91.9% | 2017 | down 4.8% | rising |
| 29 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 91.4% | 2016 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 30 | Cambodia | 90.9% | 2015 | up 10.3% | rising |
| 31 | Guatemala | 89.3% | 2014 | up 11.4% | rising |
| 32 | Uganda | 81.8% | 2012 | down 4.5% | flat |
| 33 | Bangladesh | 79.9% | 2019 | up 19.3% | rising |
| 34 | Egypt | 78.2% | 2017 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 35 | Morocco | 77.8% | 2012 | up 21.9% | rising |
| 36 | Pakistan | 70.6% | 2017 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 37 | Burkina Faso | 58.9% | 2014 | up 20.9% | rising |
| 38 | Mali | 54.7% | 2018 | up 38.2% | rising |
| 39 | Senegal | 52.3% | 2017 | down 9.1% | falling |
About this data
Percentage of the population in urban areas between age 25 and age 64 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 25-64 years 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/