Literacy Rate Statistics 2025: Key Facts, Trends & Charts
Page updated: June 2026 · Data year: 2025 · 2026 data pending release · Source: World Bank, Eurostat
This page compiles the most important literacy rate statistics for 2025 worldwide. This page covers data from 84 countries, Data is sourced from the World Bank, Eurostat, and peer-reviewed research — all fully open and citable. Charts, ranked tables, and key facts are updated automatically as new data becomes available.
Key Literacy Rate Statistics (2025)
Key Findings: Literacy Rate Statistics — 2025 (most recent available — 2026 figures not yet published by World Bank/Eurostat) Data
The latest data shows Georgia, Central Europe and the Baltics, Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) lead globally for adult literacy rate (%), with the highest recorded value of 99.7%. At the other end of the scale, Romania, Romania, Lithuania record the lowest rates among the countries surveyed.
Adult literacy rate (%) by Country — Ranked Table
| # | Country | Adult literacy rate (%) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 99.7% | 2024 |
| 2 | Central Europe and the Baltics | 99.5% | 2024 |
| 3 | Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) | 99.4% | 2024 |
| 4 | Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) | 99.0% | 2024 |
| 5 | Uruguay | 98.9% | 2024 |
| 6 | United Arab Emirates | 98.8% | 2024 |
| 7 | Mongolia | 98.6% | 2024 |
| 8 | West Bank and Gaza | 97.9% | 2024 |
| 9 | Saudi Arabia | 97.9% | 2024 |
| 10 | Bahrain | 97.8% | 2024 |
| 11 | East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) | 96.8% | 2024 |
| 12 | Late-demographic dividend | 96.8% | 2024 |
| 13 | East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) | 96.8% | 2024 |
| 14 | Bolivia | 96.7% | 2024 |
| 15 | East Asia & Pacific | 96.6% | 2024 |
| 16 | Lithuania | 96.6% | 2025 |
| 17 | Croatia | 96.4% | 2025 |
| 18 | Croatia | 96.3% | 2024 |
| 19 | Panama | 96.2% | 2024 |
| 20 | Ireland | 96.0% | 2025 |
| 21 | Ireland | 95.8% | 2024 |
| 22 | Mexico | 95.6% | 2024 |
| 23 | Colombia | 95.3% | 2024 |
| 24 | Poland | 95.2% | 2025 |
| 25 | Lithuania | 95.1% | 2024 |
| 26 | Poland | 95.0% | 2024 |
| 27 | Latin America & Caribbean | 94.9% | 2024 |
| 28 | Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) | 94.9% | 2024 |
| 29 | Paraguay | 94.9% | 2024 |
| 30 | Brazil | 94.7% | 2024 |
Methodology
All statistics on this page are sourced from open-licensed public datasets. World Bank data is available under CC BY 4.0. Eurostat data is published under the Eurostat copyright notice permitting free reuse. Manual statistics are sourced from primary research publications and are cited inline. Data is refreshed automatically on a weekly basis. Where multiple years are available, the most recent complete year is shown unless otherwise noted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the latest literacy rate statistics?
Based on the most recent data compiled by Statsipedia, we've gathered statistics from authoritative sources including the World Bank, Eurostat, and leading research institutions. See the key statistics section above for the most up-to-date figures.
When were these literacy rate statistics last updated?
This page was last updated in June 2026. The underlying data points may reflect different collection years — each statistic is labelled with its source year.
Where does the literacy rate statistics data come from?
Our statistics are sourced from publicly available datasets including the World Bank Open Data platform (CC BY 4.0), Eurostat, and peer-reviewed research. All sources are cited inline and linked to the original publication.
Can I use these literacy rate statistics in my research or content?
Yes. We source data from open-license datasets (CC BY 4.0). Please attribute Statsipedia and the original data source. For commercial use, check the license of each individual source.