Sort the Nations of the World
- Alphabetically
- --by Area
- --by Population
- --by Population Density
- --by Gross Domestic Product
- --by Gross Domestic Product per capita
- --by Life Expectancy
- --by Literacy Rate
- --by Male Literacy Rate
- --by Female Literacy Rate Learn even more
- Time and Space
- Prehistory
- Mesopotamia
- Ancient Egypt
- African History
- India and the Himalayas
- Chinese History
- Ancient Greece
- Ancient Rome
- The Middle Ages
- The Renaissance
- The World Wars
- Western Religions
- The Middle East and North Africa
- Conflicts in the Middle East
- The Caribbean
Click any heading to sort
An explanation of each category is at the bottom of the table.
Nationor Region |
TotalLiteracyRate |
MaleLiteracyRate |
FemaleLiteracyRate |
| World | 82% | 87% | 77% |
| Norway | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Luxembourg | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Liechtenstein | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Holy See (Vatican City) | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Grenada | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Greenland | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Georgia | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Finland | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Andorra | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Estonia | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Cuba | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Poland | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Latvia | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Slovenia | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Barbados | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Samoa | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Slovakia | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Lithuania | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Belarus | 100% | 100% | 99% |
| Kazakhstan | 100% | 100% | 99% |
| Tajikistan | 100% | 100% | 99% |
| Hungary | 99% | 100% | 99% |
| Armenia | 99% | 100% | 99% |
| Ukraine | 99% | 100% | 99% |
| Russia | 99% | 100% | 99% |
| Uzbekistan | 99% | 100% | 99% |
| Moldova | 99% | 100% | 99% |
| Monaco | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Japan | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Australia | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Canada | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| France | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Sweden | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Switzerland | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Iceland | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| New Zealand | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Ireland | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Germany | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| United Kingdom | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Faroe Islands | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Netherlands | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Belgium | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Denmark | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| United States | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Guam | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Czech Republic | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Korea, North | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Tonga | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Turkmenistan | 99% | 99% | 98% |
| Azerbaijan | 99% | 100% | 98% |
| Albania | 99% | 99% | 98% |
| Kyrgyzstan | 99% | 99% | 98% |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 99% | 99% | 98% |
| Italy | 98% | 99% | 98% |
| Bulgaria | 98% | 99% | 98% |
| Croatia | 98% | 99% | 97% |
| Uruguay | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 98% | 99% | 98% |
| Bermuda | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| Cayman Islands | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| Austria | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| French Polynesia | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| Spain | 98% | 99% | 97% |
| Korea, South | 98% | 99% | 97% |
| British Virgin Islands | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| Mongolia | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| Cyprus | 98% | 99% | 96% |
| Romania | 97% | 98% | 99% |
| Aruba | 97% | 98% | 97% |
| Argentina | 97% | 97% | 97% |
| Israel | 97% | 99% | 96% |
| Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha | 97% | 97% | 98% |
| American Samoa | 97% | 98% | 97% |
| Montserrat | 97% | 97% | 97% |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 97% | 97% | 96% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 97% | 99% | 94% |
| Serbia | 96% | 99% | 94% |
| New Caledonia | 96% | 97% | 96% |
| Taiwan | 96% | 96% | 96% |
| Macedonia | 96% | 98% | 94% |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 96% | 96% | 96% |
| San Marino | 96% | 97% | 95% |
| Greece | 96% | 98% | 94% |
| Chile | 96% | 96% | 96% |
| Bahamas | 96% | 95% | 97% |
| Portugal | 95% | 96% | 91% |
| Anguilla | 95% | 95% | 95% |
| Cook Islands | 95% | 95% | 95% |
| Niue | 95% | 95% | 95% |
| Costa Rica | 95% | 95% | 95% |
| Puerto Rico | 94% | 94% | 94% |
| Dominica | 94% | 94% | 94% |
| Paraguay | 94% | 95% | 93% |
| Vietnam | 94% | 96% | 92% |
| Maldives | 94% | 93% | 95% |
| Marshall Islands | 94% | 94% | 94% |
| Fiji | 94% | 96% | 92% |
| Hong Kong | 94% | 97% | 90% |
| Kuwait | 93% | 94% | 91% |
| Venezuela | 93% | 93% | 93% |
| Peru | 93% | 96% | 89% |
| Malta | 93% | 92% | 94% |
| Brunei | 93% | 95% | 90% |
| Philippines | 93% | 93% | 93% |
| Thailand | 93% | 95% | 91% |
| Virgin Islands | 93% | 93% | 93% |
| Singapore | 93% | 97% | 89% |
| West Bank | 92% | 97% | 88% |
| Gaza Strip | 92% | 97% | 88% |
| China | 92% | 96% | 89% |
| Palau | 92% | 93% | 90% |
| Panama | 92% | 93% | 91% |
| Kosovo | 92% | 97% | 88% |
| Seychelles | 92% | 91% | 92% |
| Guyana | 92% | 92% | 92% |
| Macau | 91% | 95% | 88% |
| Ecuador | 91% | 92% | 90% |
| Sri Lanka | 91% | 92% | 89% |
| Zimbabwe | 91% | 94% | 87% |
| Colombia | 90% | 90% | 91% |
| Indonesia | 90% | 94% | 87% |
| Saint Lucia | 90% | 90% | 91% |
| Burma | 90% | 94% | 86% |
| Jordan | 90% | 95% | 85% |
| Suriname | 90% | 92% | 87% |
| Qatar | 89% | 89% | 89% |
| Micronesia | 89% | 91% | 88% |
| Malaysia | 89% | 92% | 85% |
| Brazil | 89% | 88% | 89% |
| Jamaica | 88% | 84% | 92% |
| Lebanon | 87% | 93% | 82% |
| Turkey | 87% | 95% | 80% |
| Dominican Republic | 87% | 87% | 87% |
| Equatorial Guinea | 87% | 93% | 81% |
| Bolivia | 87% | 93% | 81% |
| Bahrain | 87% | 89% | 84% |
| South Africa | 86% | 87% | 86% |
| Mexico | 86% | 87% | 85% |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 86% | 86% | 86% |
| Kenya | 85% | 91% | 80% |
| Gibraltar | 85% | 85% | 85% |
| Namibia | 85% | 87% | 84% |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 85% | 92% | 78% |
| Lesotho | 85% | 75% | 95% |
| Mauritius | 84% | 89% | 81% |
| Congo, Republic of the | 84% | 90% | 78% |
| Libya | 83% | 92% | 72% |
| Swaziland | 82% | 83% | 81% |
| Oman | 81% | 87% | 74% |
| Botswana | 81% | 80% | 82% |
| El Salvador | 81% | 83% | 80% |
| Zambia | 81% | 87% | 75% |
| Honduras | 80% | 80% | 80% |
| Syria | 80% | 86% | 74% |
| Saudi Arabia | 79% | 85% | 71% |
| United Arab Emirates | 78% | 76% | 82% |
| Iran | 77% | 84% | 70% |
| Belize | 77% | 77% | 77% |
| Cape Verde | 77% | 86% | 69% |
| Tunisia | 74% | 83% | 65% |
| Iraq | 74% | 84% | 64% |
| Vanuatu | 74% | 74% | 74% |
| Cambodia | 74% | 85% | 64% |
| Laos | 73% | 83% | 63% |
| Egypt | 71% | 83% | 59% |
| Rwanda | 70% | 76% | 65% |
| Algeria | 70% | 80% | 60% |
| Tanzania | 69% | 78% | 62% |
| Guatemala | 69% | 75% | 63% |
| Madagascar | 69% | 76% | 63% |
| Nigeria | 68% | 76% | 61% |
| Cameroon | 68% | 77% | 60% |
| Djibouti | 68% | 78% | 58% |
| Nicaragua | 68% | 67% | 68% |
| Angola | 67% | 83% | 54% |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 67% | 81% | 54% |
| Uganda | 67% | 77% | 58% |
| Gabon | 63% | 74% | 53% |
| Malawi | 63% | 76% | 50% |
| Sudan | 61% | 72% | 51% |
| India | 61% | 73% | 48% |
| Togo | 61% | 75% | 47% |
| Burundi | 59% | 67% | 52% |
| Timor-Leste | 59% | 59% | 59% |
| Eritrea | 59% | 70% | 48% |
| Ghana | 58% | 66% | 50% |
| Liberia | 58% | 73% | 42% |
| Papua New Guinea | 57% | 63% | 51% |
| Comoros | 57% | 64% | 49% |
| Haiti | 53% | 55% | 51% |
| Morocco | 52% | 65% | 40% |
| Mauritania | 51% | 60% | 43% |
| Yemen | 50% | 71% | 30% |
| Wallis and Futuna | 50% | 50% | 50% |
| Pakistan | 50% | 63% | 36% |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 49% | 61% | 39% |
| Nepal | 49% | 63% | 35% |
| Central African Republic | 49% | 65% | 34% |
| Bangladesh | 48% | 54% | 41% |
| Mozambique | 48% | 64% | 33% |
| Bhutan | 47% | 60% | 34% |
| Mali | 47% | 54% | 39% |
| Ethiopia | 43% | 50% | 35% |
| Guinea-Bissau | 42% | 58% | 27% |
| The Gambia | 40% | 48% | 33% |
| Senegal | 39% | 51% | 29% |
| Somalia | 38% | 50% | 26% |
| Sierra Leone | 35% | 47% | 24% |
| Benin | 35% | 48% | 23% |
| Guinea | 30% | 43% | 18% |
| Niger | 29% | 43% | 15% |
| Afghanistan | 28% | 43% | 13% |
| South Sudan | 27% | 40% | 16% |
| Chad | 26% | 41% | 13% |
| Burkina Faso | 22% | 29% | 15% |
| Akrotiri | no data | no data | no data |
| Antarctica | no data | no data | no data |
| Ashmore and Cartier Islands | no data | no data | no data |
| Bouvet Island | no data | no data | no data |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | no data | no data | no data |
| Christmas Island | no data | no data | no data |
| Clipperton Island | no data | no data | no data |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands | no data | no data | no data |
| Coral Sea Islands | no data | no data | no data |
| Curacao | no data | no data | no data |
| Dhekelia | no data | no data | no data |
| European Union | no data | no data | no data |
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | no data | no data | no data |
| Guernsey | no data | no data | no data |
| Heard Island and McDonald Islands | no data | no data | no data |
| Isle of Man | no data | no data | no data |
| Jan Mayen | no data | no data | no data |
| Jersey | no data | no data | no data |
| Kiribati | no data | no data | no data |
| Montenegro | no data | no data | no data |
| Nauru | no data | no data | no data |
| Navassa Island | no data | no data | no data |
| Norfolk Island | no data | no data | no data |
| Paracel Islands | no data | no data | no data |
| Pitcairn Islands | no data | no data | no data |
| Saint Barthelemy | no data | no data | no data |
| Saint Martin | no data | no data | no data |
| Sint Maarten | no data | no data | no data |
| Solomon Islands | no data | no data | no data |
| South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands | no data | no data | no data |
| Spratly Islands | no data | no data | no data |
| Svalbard | no data | no data | no data |
| Tokelau | no data | no data | no data |
| Tuvalu | no data | no data | no data |
| Wake Island | no data | no data | no data |
| Western Sahara | no data | no data | no data |
Source: CIA World Factbook, accessed July 15, 2011
Nation or region can refer to a wide variety of dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, uninhabited islands, and other entities in addition to the traditional countries or independent states.
Literacy Rate is an estimate of the number of people in a nation or region who are able to read. Each nation defines literacy by their own standard and sets the minimum age for literacy.
Dowling, Mike. "Sort the Nations of the World by Literacy Rate at mrdowling.com." www.mrdowling.com. Updated August 8, 2011 . Web. Date of Access. <http://www.mrdowling.com/800literacy.html>