Countries With the Lowest Adult Literacy
Every country with a figure for adult literacy, ranked from lowest to highest. The top three are Chad (30.6%), Niger (35.6%) and Mali (35.6%). The middle country of the 137 has 93.5%.
What this measures
Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above), in % of adults. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. For this measure, higher is better.
Reported only in census or survey years for most countries, so the data are sparse and uneven rather than yearly.
The full ranking
Each country’s latest figure, from 2010–2024. The year beside each value says when it was measured.
| Rank | Country | Adult literacy | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad | 30.6% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 2 | Niger | 35.6% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 3 | Mali | 35.6% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 4 | Afghanistan | 37.3% | 2021 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 5 | Guinea | 39.6% | 2018 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 6 | Burkina Faso | 41.6% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 7 | Central African Republic | 42.4% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 8 | Sierra Leone | 43.6% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 9 | Cote d'Ivoire | 50% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 10 | Senegal | 50.4% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 11 | Benin | 51.4% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 12 | Gambia, The | 51.6% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 13 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 54.1% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 14 | Pakistan | 58.9% | 2021 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 15 | Liberia | 59.4% | 2010 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 16 | Mauritania | 59.5% | 2020 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 17 | Ethiopia | 60.5% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 18 | Mozambique | 61.7% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 19 | Guinea-Bissau | 63.9% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 20 | Morocco | 64.3% | 2014 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 21 | Bhutan | 64.9% | 2022 | South Asia |
| 22 | Haiti | 68% | 2017 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 23 | Angola | 68.2% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 24 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 68.5% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 25 | Nepal | 68.7% | 2019 | South Asia |
| 26 | Timor-Leste | 69.4% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 27 | Malawi | 70.2% | 2020 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 28 | Nigeria | 70.4% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 29 | Burundi | 71.3% | 2020 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 30 | Zambia | 71.8% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 31 | Cambodia | 71.9% | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 32 | Cameroon | 72.6% | 2018 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 33 | Togo | 72.6% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 34 | Madagascar | 74.7% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 35 | Comoros | 75.6% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 36 | Lao PDR | 75.6% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 37 | Ghana | 76.5% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 38 | Uganda | 77% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 39 | India | 78.2% | 2024 | South Asia |
| 40 | Tanzania | 78.2% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 41 | Rwanda | 78.8% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 42 | Bangladesh | 79% | 2022 | South Asia |
| 43 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 79.5% | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 44 | Guatemala | 82.1% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 45 | Iraq | 84.1% | 2021 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 46 | Guyana | 85.6% | 2020 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 47 | Tunisia | 86.3% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 48 | Papua New Guinea | 87% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 49 | Nicaragua | 87.3% | 2014 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 50 | Sao Tome and Principe | 87.4% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 51 | Namibia | 87.6% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 52 | Belize | 87.9% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 53 | Vanuatu | 88% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 54 | Honduras | 88.3% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 55 | Cabo Verde | 88.5% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 56 | Gabon | 88.9% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 57 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 88.9% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 58 | El Salvador | 89.8% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 59 | Lesotho | 90.4% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 60 | Eswatini | 90.8% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 61 | Thailand | 91.1% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 62 | South Africa | 91.2% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 63 | Lebanon | 92% | 2019 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 64 | Puerto Rico (US) | 92.4% | 2017 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 65 | Sri Lanka | 92.7% | 2024 | South Asia |
| 66 | Suriname | 92.9% | 2012 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 67 | Zimbabwe | 93.2% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 68 | Malta | 93.3% | 2011 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 69 | Ecuador | 93.5% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 70 | Myanmar | 93.5% | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 71 | Peru | 93.7% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 72 | Seychelles | 93.9% | 2010 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 73 | Dominican Republic | 94% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 74 | Mauritius | 94.3% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 75 | Syrian Arab Republic | 94.4% | 2021 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 76 | Jordan | 94.4% | 2024 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 77 | Portugal | 94.5% | 2011 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 78 | Brazil | 94.7% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 79 | Paraguay | 94.9% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 80 | Colombia | 95.3% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 81 | Mexico | 95.6% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 82 | Marshall Islands | 95.8% | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 83 | Malaysia | 95.8% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 84 | Indonesia | 96% | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 85 | Brunei Darussalam | 96.1% | 2011 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 86 | Viet Nam | 96.1% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 87 | Panama | 96.2% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 88 | Chile | 96.4% | 2017 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 89 | Kuwait | 96.5% | 2020 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 90 | Macao SAR, China | 96.5% | 2016 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 91 | Naoero | 96.6% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 92 | Bolivia | 96.7% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 93 | China | 96.7% | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 94 | Aruba | 96.8% | 2010 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 95 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 97% | 2013 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 96 | Venezuela, RB | 97.2% | 2017 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 97 | Turkiye | 97.3% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 98 | Oman | 97.3% | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 99 | Costa Rica | 97.4% | 2011 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 100 | Cuba | 97.7% | 2019 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 101 | Singapore | 97.7% | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 102 | Albania | 97.7% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 103 | Qatar | 97.8% | 2014 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 104 | Bahrain | 97.8% | 2024 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 105 | Saudi Arabia | 97.9% | 2024 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 106 | West Bank and Gaza | 97.9% | 2024 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 107 | Samoa | 98% | 2019 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 108 | Maldives | 98.2% | 2019 | South Asia |
| 109 | Bulgaria | 98.3% | 2011 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 110 | Philippines | 98.5% | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 111 | Montenegro | 98.5% | 2018 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 112 | Kiribati | 98.6% | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 113 | Mongolia | 98.6% | 2024 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 114 | Cyprus | 98.7% | 2011 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 115 | United Arab Emirates | 98.8% | 2024 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 116 | Cayman Islands | 98.9% | 2017 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 117 | Uruguay | 98.9% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 118 | Argentina | 99.1% | 2020 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 119 | Romania | 99.2% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 120 | Serbia | 99.3% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 121 | Italy | 99.3% | 2019 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 122 | Moldova | 99.4% | 2014 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 123 | Tonga | 99.5% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 124 | Georgia | 99.7% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 125 | Spain | 99.7% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 126 | Azerbaijan | 99.8% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 127 | Lithuania | 99.8% | 2011 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 128 | Armenia | 99.8% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 129 | Palau | 99.8% | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 130 | Belarus | 99.9% | 2019 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 131 | Estonia | 99.9% | 2011 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 132 | Latvia | 99.9% | 2011 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 133 | Turkmenistan | 99.9% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 134 | San Marino | 99.9% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 135 | Russian Federation | 99.9% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 136 | Tuvalu | 100% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 137 | Uzbekistan | 100% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
More on adult literacy
- Countries With the Highest Adult Literacy
- Adult literacy by country: trend over time and what it goes with
Related rankings
- Countries With the Lowest PISA Maths
- Countries With the Lowest PISA Reading
- Countries With the Lowest PISA Science
- Countries With the Lowest Primary Completion
- Countries With the Lowest Expected Schooling
- Countries With the Lowest Mean Years of Schooling
- Countries With the Lowest Education Spending
- Countries With the Lowest Primary Enrollment
A ranking describes countries, not the people in them, and a high or low place does not by itself say why. All country rankings.