The document summarizes literacy rates for youth and adults globally and by region over time. Some key findings: - Global youth literacy has risen from 83% to 90% from 1985-2010, though 10% of youth still lack basic literacy. All regions have seen improvements, especially South Asia which rose 21 percentage points. - Adult literacy has risen globally from 76% to 84% over this period. The Middle East/North Africa saw the largest rise at 20 percentage points. - Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest rates for both youth and adult literacy and largest gender disparities, though all regions have reduced these gaps over time.

1. Literacy
The State of Education Series
March 2013
A Global Report

2. Summary
This presentation is divided into two
sections:
 Youth Literacy Rates
 Adult Literacy Rates
It includes detailed analysis of literacy rates
by regions and by genders.

3. Acronym Guide
Acronym Name
EAP East Asia and Pacific
ECA Europe and Central Asia
LAC Latin American and the Caribbean
MNA Middle East and North Africa
SAS South Asia
SSA Sub-Saharan Africa
WLD World (Global Aggregate)
GPI Gender Parity Index (female value/male value)

4. Youth
Literacy

5. Have youth literacy rates improved
over time?
 Global youth literacy
rates have improved
from 83.3% (1985-2004)
to 89.6% (2005-2010) or
6.3 percentage points.
 Still, around 10% of
youth emerge from
education systems
around the world without
basic literacy skills.
 All regions showed
improvement in youth
literacy rates over time.
 SAS showed the most
dramatic improvement
from 58% to 79.5% -- a
21 percentage point
improvement.
(continued on next slide)
Youth literacy rates have been increasing in
all regions over time.
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
EAP ECA LAC MNA SAS SSA WLD
Youthliteracyrate(%).Total
1985-1994
1995-2004
2005-2010
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013

6.  ECA has consistently
had the highest youth
literacy rate ranging
from 98-99%.
 Over time, EAP has
almost caught up to
ECA’s high youth
literacy levels and LAC
trails closely behind.
More than 97% of
youth are literate in
these regions.
 More 25% of youth are
illiterate in SSA, but
this is a 6 percentage
point improvement
over 1985-1995.
Have youth literacy rates improved
over time? (continued)
Youth literacy rates have been increasing in
all regions over time.
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
EAP ECA LAC MNA SAS SSA WLD
Youthliteracyrate(%).Total
1985-1994
1995-2004
2005-2010
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013

7. Which countries have the lowest
youth literacy rates?
 Less than half of youth
are literate in Burkina
Faso, Mali and Chad.
 All of the countries with
the lowest literacy rates
are in SSA.
 Of the 142 countries with
data, 22 countries have
youth literacy rates less
than 75%. All are in SSA
except for
Pakistan, Haiti, and
Papua New Guinea.
 89 countries have youth
literacy rates higher than
95%.
10 Countries with the Lowest
Youth Literacy Rates
(2006-2010)
1 Burkina Faso 39.3
2 Mali 44.3
3 Chad 47.0
4 Benin 55.0
5 Ethiopia 55.0
6 Sierra Leone 59.4
7 Guinea 63.4
8 Madagascar 64.9
9 Congo, Dem. Rep. 65.0
10 Senegal 65.0
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013
Note: Data were not available for 72 countries. Most recent data year is
displayed; Black = 2010; Green = 2009; Blue = 2007.

8. Which countries have increased youth
literacy rates the most over time?
 These countries have
increased their youth
literacy rates by 10 to
16 percentage points
over time.
 8 of 10 countries are
in SSA.
 Despite great
improvement, only 4
of 10 countries have
youth literacy rates
higher than 75%.
 Four countries’ rates
worsened by more
than 2% over the
same period: Iraq,
Madagascar, Haiti,
and Congo, Dem.
Rep.
10 Countries with the
Most Improvement in
Youth Literacy Rates
Percentage
Points
Improved
1999-
2004
Rate
2006-
2010
Rate
%
Improved
1 Guinea 16.3 47.1 63.4 34.6
2 Senegal 15.9 49.1 65.0 32.4
3 Gambia, The 14.1 52.6 66.7 26.8
4 Bangladesh 13.4 63.6 77.0 21.1
5 Nepal 13.0 70.1 83.1 18.5
6 Guinea-Bissau 12.6 59.5 72.1 21.2
7 Sierra Leone 11.5 47.9 59.4 24.0
8 Eritrea 11.4 77.9 89.3 14.6
9 Ghana 10.1 70.7 80.8 14.3
1
0
Mozambique 9.9 61.9 71.8 16.0
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013
Notes: Data are most current available year within the time period;
Data were not available for 93 of 214 countries.

9. Youth Literacy Rate. Total
(2006-2010)
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, 2013
Note: Data displayed is for the most recent available year
The maps displayed were produced by EdStats. The boundaries, colors, denominations and any
other information shown on this map do not imply, on the part of the World Bank Group, any
judgment on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.
The maps are for reference only.

10. Is there disparity between
genders in youth literacy rates?
 Globally, there is still a
gender gap in youth
literacy rates, though the
gap has been shrinking
over time.
 There was a 8.6%
difference between male
and female youth literacy
rates during 1985-1994.
 The gender gap shrunk
by 41.5% to 5.0% during
2005-2010. 92% of
males were literate
compared to 87% of
females.
Fewer females emerge from education
systems with basic literacy skills than males.
87.6
90.4
92.2
79.0
83.9
87.1
70
75
80
85
90
95
1985-1994 1995-2004 2005-2010
YouthLiteracyRate(%)
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013
Male Female

11. Are gender disparities in youth
literacy rates decreasing?
 Gender disparities
between male and
female youth literacy
rates have decreased in
all regions.
 EAP, ECA, and LAC
have achieved almost
perfect gender parity
(1.0), while
MNA, SAS, and SSA
lag behind.
 SAS and MNA have
improved greatly over
time: They moved 0.17
and 0.14 closer to
gender parity.
 Progress in SSA has
been slower with only
0.09 improvement.
Gender disparities in youth literacy rates have
decreased over time in all regions.
0.90
0.93
0.95
0.65
0.70
0.75
0.80
0.85
0.90
0.95
1.00
1.05
1985-1994 1995-2004 2005-2010
GenderParityIndex(GPI)forYouthLiteracyRate
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013
EAP ECA LAC MNA SAS SSA WLD

12. Gender Parity Index for Youth
Literacy Rate
(2006-2010)
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, 2013
Note: Data displayed is for the most recent available year
The maps displayed were produced by EdStats. The boundaries, colors, denominations and any
other information shown on this map do not imply, on the part of the World Bank Group, any
judgment on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.
The maps are for reference only.
Gender
Parity
Male
Bias
Male
Bias
Male
Bias

13. Which countries have the
lowest female literacy rates?
 The 20 lowest female
youth literacy rates
were all found in Sub-
Saharan African
countries except for
Pakistan.
 Only 1/3 of female
youth are literate in
Burkina Faso and Mali.
 Less than half of
female youth are
literate in the top 5
countries.
10 Countries with the Lowest
Female Youth Literacy Rates
(2006-2010)
1 Burkina Faso 33.1
2 Mali 33.9
3 Chad 40.6
4 Benin 44.6
5 Ethiopia 47.0
6 Sierra Leone 50.1
7 Senegal 56.2
8 Guinea 57.0
9 Central African Republic 58.2
10 Pakistan 61.5
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013; Note:
Data points are the most recent year available: Green = 2009; Blue =
2007; Black = 2010; Data were not available for 71 countries.

14. Which countries have increased female
youth literacy rates the most over time?
 These countries have
increased their female
youth literacy rates by
14 to 23 percentage
points over time.
 8 of 10 countries are
in SSA and 2 are in
SAS.
 Despite great
improvement, only 4
of 10 countries have
female youth literacy
rates higher than
75%.
 Haiti’s female youth
literacy rate worsened
over the period by 10
percentage points.
10 Countries with the
Most Improvement in
Female Youth Literacy Rates
Percentage
Points
Improved
1999-
2004
Rate
2006-
2010
Rate
%
Improved
1 Guinea 22.9 34.1 57.0 67.2
2 Gambia, The 20.3 41.4 61.7 49.1
3 Guinea-Bissau 19.4 45.9 65.3 42.3
4 Nepal 18.2 60.1 78.4 30.3
5 Bangladesh 18.2 60.3 78.5 30.3
6 Chad 17.3 23.2 40.6 74.6
7 Eritrea 17.2 69.5 86.7 24.7
8 Senegal 15.2 41.0 56.2 37.2
9 Mozambique 15.0 50.0 65.1 30.0
1
0
Ghana 14.4 65.5 79.9 22.0
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013
Notes: Data are most current available year within the time period;
Data were not available for 92 of 213 countries.

15. Youth Literacy Rate. Female
(2006-2010)
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, 2013
Note: Data displayed is for the most recent available year
The maps displayed were produced by EdStats. The boundaries, colors, denominations and any
other information shown on this map do not imply, on the part of the World Bank Group, any
judgment on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.
The maps are for reference only.

16. Adult
Literacy

17. Have adult literacy rates improved
over time?
 Global adult literacy
rates improved from
75.7% to 84.1% -- an 8
percentage point
increase over time.
 Still, 16% of adults have
emerged from
education systems
without basic literacy
skills.
 All regions showed
improvement in adult
literacy rates, but MNA
improved the most from
56% to 76% -- a 20
percentage point
increase over time.
(continued on next slide)
Adult literacy rates have been increasing over
the years in all regions.
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
EAP ECA LAC MNA SAS SSA WLD
Adultliteracyrate(%).Total
1985-1994
1995-2004
2005-2010
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013

18. Have adult literacy rates improved
over time? (continued)
 ECA has consistently
had the highest adult
literacy rates (95%+).
 More than 1/3 of adults
are illiterate in SAS
and SSA, but SAS
improved from 46% to
62% – a 16 percentage
point increase.
 SSA has improved
more slowly than SAS
at 8.4 percentage
points of improvement
over time.
Adult literacy rates have been increasing over the
years in all regions.
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
EAP ECA LAC MNA SAS SSA WLD
Adultliteracyrate(%).Total
1985-1994
1995-2004
2005-2010
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013

19. Which countries have the lowest
adult literacy rates?
 9 of the 10 countries
with the lowest adult
literacy rates are in
SSA. Haiti is the
exception.
 Less than one third of
adults are literate in Mali
and Burkina Faso.
 Of the 149 countries
with data, 20 countries
have adult literacy rates
less than 60% and 43
countries have adult
literacy rates less than
75%.
 75 countries have adult
literacy rates higher than
90%.
10 Countries with the Lowest Adult
Literacy Rates
(2006-2010)
1 Burkina Faso 28.7
2 Mali 31.1
3 Chad 34.5
4 Ethiopia 39.0
5 Guinea 41.0
6 Sierra Leone 42.1
7 Benin 42.4
8 Haiti 48.7
9 Senegal 49.7
10 Gambia, The 50.0
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013
Note: Data were not available for 71 countries. Data are for the most recent
available year. Purple = 2006; Blue = 2007; Green = 2009; Black = 2010.

20. Which countries have increased adult
literacy rates the most over time?
 These countries have
increased their adult
literacy rates by 9 to
21 percentage points
over time.
 7 of 10 countries are
in SSA.
 Despite great
improvement, at least
30% of adults were
illiterate in all these
countries except
Sudan.
 Haiti’s adult literacy
rate worsened by 10
percentage points,
and Madagascar’s by
6 percentage points.
10 Countries with the
Most Improvement in
Adult Literacy Rates
Percentage
Points
Improved
1999-
2004
Rate
2006-
2010
Rate
%
Improved
1 Timor-Leste 20.7 37.6 58.3 55.1
2 Eritrea 15.3 52.5 67.8 29.1
3 Gambia, The 13.1 36.8 50.0 35.7
4 Guinea-Bissau 12.8 41.4 54.2 31.0
5 Nepal 11.7 48.6 60.3 24.1
6 Guinea 11.3 29.7 41.0 38.2
7 Senegal 10.4 39.3 49.7 26.5
8 Sudan 9.7 61.3 71.1 15.8
9 Ghana 9.4 57.9 67.3 16.2
1
0
Bangladesh 9.3 47.5 56.8 19.6
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013;
Notes: Data are most current available year within the time period;
Data were not available for 87 of 214 countries.

21. Adult Literacy Rate. Total
(2006-2010)
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, 2013
Note: Data displayed is for the most recent available year
The maps displayed were produced by EdStats. The boundaries, colors, denominations and any
other information shown on this map do not imply, on the part of the World Bank Group, any
judgment on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.
The maps are for reference only.

22. Is there disparity between
genders in adult literacy rates?
 Globally, there is still a
gender gap in adult
literacy rates, though the
gap has been shrinking
over time.
 There was a 12.6%
difference between male
(82%) and female
(69.4%) adult literacy
rates during 1985-1994.
 The gender gap shrunk
by 29% to 8.9% during
2005-2010. 88.6% of
males were literate
compared to 79.7% of
females.
Fewer adult females have basic literacy skills,
but the gender gap has decreased over time.
82.0
86.9
88.6
69.4
76.9
79.7
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1985-1994 1995-2004 2005-2010
AdultLiteracyRate(%)
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, Mar. 2013
Male Female

23. Have gender disparities in adult
literacy rates decreased over time?
 Gender disparities in
adult literacy rates have
decreased over time in
all regions.
 ECA and LAC have
achieved gender parity
with GPIs at 0.98.
 MNA, SAS, and EAP
have made the most
progress by moving
0.16, 0.13, and 0.13
closer to 1.0 (gender
parity) respectively.
 Progress in SSA has
been slower with only
0.09 improvement.
 SAS, SSA, and MNA are
furthest from gender
parity in adult literacy.
All regions are moving closer to gender parity
in adult literacy rates.
0.85 0.88 0.90
0.50
0.55
0.60
0.65
0.70
0.75
0.80
0.85
0.90
0.95
1.00
1.05
1985-1994 1995-2004 2005-2010
GenderParityIndex(GPI)forAdultLiteracyRate
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013
EAP ECA LAC MNA SAS SSA WLD

24. Which countries have the
lowest female literacy rates?
 Less than one quarter
of females are literate
in the top 3 countries –
Mali, Burkina
Faso, and Chad. Less
than one third of
females are literate in
the top 7 countries.
 All the countries on the
list are in SSA except
Pakistan.
 Of the 144 countries
with data, 19 countries
have female adult
literacy rates less than
50% and 70 countries
have rates higher than
90%.
10 Countries with the Lowest
Female Adult Literacy Rates
(2006-2010)
1 Mali 20.3
2 Burkina Faso 21.6
3 Chad 24.2
4 Ethiopia 28.9
5 Guinea 30.0
6 Benin 30.3
7 Sierra Leone 31.4
8 Senegal 38.7
9 Pakistan 40.3
10 Gambia, The 40.4
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013
Note: Data were not available for 71 countries. Data are for the most recent
available year. Blue = 2007; Green = 2009; Black = 2010.

25. Which countries have increased female
adult literacy rates the most over time?
 These countries have
increased their female
adult literacy rates by
11 to 23 percentage
points over time.
 Six of the countries are
in SSA; 2 are in SAS.
 Despite great
improvement, more
than 1/3 of women are
illiterate in all of these
countries except Saudi
Arabia.
 Haiti’s rate worsened
by 10.3 percentage
points over time.
10 Countries with the
Most Improvement in
Female Adult Literacy Rates
Percentage
Points
Improved
1999-
2004
Rate
2006-
2010
Rate
%
Improved
1 Timor-Leste 23.0 30.0 53.0 76.5
2 Eritrea 17.3 40.2 57.5 43.1
3 Gambia, The 15.4 25.1 40.4 61.4
4 Nepal 13.5 34.9 48.3 38.6
5 Guinea-Bissau 13.1 27.5 40.6 47.7
6 Saudi Arabia 12.1 69.3 81.3 17.4
7 Guinea 11.8 18.2 30.0 64.7
8 Ghana 11.4 49.8 61.2 22.9
9 Bangladesh 11.4 40.8 52.2 27.9
1
0
Chad 11.4 12.8 24.2 89.0
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, March 2013
Notes: Data are most current available year within the time period;
Data were not available for 90 of 213 countries.

26. Adult Literacy Rate. Female
(2006-2010)
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics in EdStats, 2013
Note: Data displayed is for the most recent available year
The maps displayed were produced by EdStats. The boundaries, colors, denominations and any
other information shown on this map do not imply, on the part of the World Bank Group, any
judgment on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.
The maps are for reference only.

27. This presentation utilizes the following data source:
UNESCO Institute for Statistics data in the EdStats Query
 The presentation was created with the most recent UIS data release that
included 2010 data for most countries.
 Indicators were calculated by UIS according to definitions available in the
EdStats Query.
Data Sources

28. The State of Education Series
The following State of Education presentations
are available on the EdStats website:
Educational Levels:
 Pre-Primary Education
 Primary Education
 Secondary Education
 Tertiary Education
Topics:
 Access
 Quality
 Expenditures
 Literacy
 Equity
 Gender