Education > Literacy > Definition: Countries Compared
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DEFINITION:
This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates are based on the most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the ability to read and write is beyond the scope of our source. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons.
| COUNTRY | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Albania | age 9 and over can read and write |
| Algeria | age 15 and over can read and write |
| American Samoa | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Andorra | NA |
| Angola | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Anguilla | age 12 and over can read and write |
| Antigua and Barbuda | age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling |
| Argentina | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Armenia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Aruba | NA |
| Australia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Austria | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Azerbaijan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Bahrain | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Bangladesh | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Barbados | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
| Belarus | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Belgium | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Belize | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Benin | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Bermuda | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Bhutan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Bolivia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Botswana | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Brazil | age 15 and over can read and write |
| British Virgin Islands | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Brunei | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Bulgaria | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Burkina Faso | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Burma | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Burundi | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Cambodia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Cameroon | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Canada | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Cape Verde | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Cayman Islands | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
| Central African Republic | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Chad | age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic |
| Chile | age 15 and over can read and write |
| China | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Colombia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Comoros | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Congo, Republic of the | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Cook Islands | NA |
| Costa Rica | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Cote d'Ivoire | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Croatia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Cuba | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Cyprus | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Czech Republic | NA |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba |
| Denmark | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Djibouti | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Dominica | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
| Dominican Republic | age 15 and over can read and write |
| East Timor | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Ecuador | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Egypt | age 15 and over can read and write |
| El Salvador | age 5 and over can read and write |
| Equatorial Guinea | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Eritrea | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Estonia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Ethiopia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Federated States of Micronesia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Fiji | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Finland | age 15 and over can read and write |
| France | age 15 and over can read and write |
| French Polynesia | age 14 and over can read and write |
| Gabon | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Gaza Strip | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Georgia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Germany | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Ghana | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Gibraltar | NA |
| Greece | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Greenland | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Grenada | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Guam | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Guatemala | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Guinea | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Guinea-Bissau | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Guyana | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
| Haiti | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Holy See (Vatican City) | NA |
| Honduras | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Hong Kong | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
| Hungary | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Iceland | age 15 and over can read and write |
| India | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Indonesia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Iran | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Iraq | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Ireland | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Israel | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Italy | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Jamaica | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
| Japan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Jordan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Kazakhstan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Kenya | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Kuwait | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Kyrgyzstan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Laos | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Latvia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Lebanon | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Lesotho | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Liberia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Libya | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Liechtenstein | age 10 and over can read and write |
| Lithuania | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Luxembourg | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Macau | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Madagascar | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Malawi | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Malaysia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Maldives | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Mali | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Malta | age 10 and over can read and write |
| Marshall Islands | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Martinique | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Mauritania | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Mauritius | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Mexico | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Moldova | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Monaco | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Mongolia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Montserrat | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
| Morocco | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Mozambique | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Namibia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Nepal | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Netherlands | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Netherlands Antilles | age 15 and over can read and write |
| New Caledonia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| New Zealand | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Nicaragua | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Niger | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Nigeria | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Niue | NA |
| North Korea | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Northern Mariana Islands | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Norway | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Oman | NA |
| Pakistan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Palau | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Panama | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Papua New Guinea | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Paraguay | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Peru | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Philippines | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Poland | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Portugal | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Puerto Rico | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Qatar | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Reunion | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Romania | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Russia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Rwanda | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
| Saint Lucia | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
| Samoa | age 15 and over can read and write |
| San Marino | age 10 and over can read and write |
| Sao Tome and Principe | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Saudi Arabia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Senegal | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Serbia and Montenegro | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Seychelles | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Sierra Leone | age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic |
| Singapore | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Slovakia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Slovenia | NA |
| Somalia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| South Africa | age 15 and over can read and write |
| South Korea | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Spain | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Sri Lanka | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Sudan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Suriname | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Swaziland | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Sweden | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Switzerland | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Syria | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Taiwan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Tajikistan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Tanzania | age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili), English, or Arabic |
| Thailand | age 15 and over can read and write |
| The Bahamas | age 15 and over can read and write |
| The Gambia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Togo | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Tonga | can read and write Tongan and/or English |
| Trinidad and Tobago | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Tunisia | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Turkey | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Turkmenistan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
| Uganda | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Ukraine | age 15 and over can read and write |
| United Arab Emirates | age 15 and over can read and write |
| United Kingdom | age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling |
| United States | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Uruguay | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Uzbekistan | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Vanuatu | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Venezuela | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Vietnam | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Virgin Islands | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Wallis and Futuna | age 15 and over can read and write |
| West Bank | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Yemen | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Zambia | age 15 and over can read and write English |
| Zimbabwe | age 15 and over can read and write English |
