People > Literacy > Female: Countries Compared

DEFINITION: This entry is derived from People > Literacy, which 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 the Factbook. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons. Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world.

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Totals

#	COUNTRY	AMOUNT	DATE
=1	LiechtensteinLiechtenstein	100%	2013
=1	NorwayNorway	100%	2013
=1	AndorraAndorra	100%	2013
=1	Holy See (Vatican City)Vatican City	100%	2013
=1	GreenlandGreenland	100%	2001
=1	LuxembourgLuxembourg	100%	2000
=1	FinlandFinland	100%	2000
=8	CubaCuba	99.8%	2011
=8	LatviaLatvia	99.8%	2011
=8	EstoniaEstonia	99.8%	2011
=11	SloveniaSlovenia	99.7%	2011
=11	LithuaniaLithuania	99.7%	2011
=11	GeorgiaGeorgia	99.7%	2011
=11	UkraineUkraine	99.7%	2011
=11	AzerbaijanAzerbaijan	99.7%	2010
=11	KazakhstanKazakhstan	99.7%	2009
=11	BarbadosBarbados	99.7%	2002
=18	TajikistanTajikistan	99.6%	2011
=18	PolandPoland	99.6%	2011
=18	RussiaRussia	99.6%	2010
=18	SlovakiaSlovakia	99.6%	2004
=22	TurkmenistanTurkmenistan	99.5%	2011
=22	ArmeniaArmenia	99.5%	2011
=22	BelarusBelarus	99.5%	2009
25	Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda	99.4%	2011
26	UzbekistanUzbekistan	99.2%	2011
27	TongaTonga	99.1%	2006
=28	Czech RepublicCzech Republic	99%	2011
=28	North KoreaNorth Korea	99%	2010
=28	KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan	99%	2009
=28	Cayman IslandsCayman Islands	99%	2007
=28	BermudaBermuda	99%	2005
=28	New ZealandNew Zealand	99%	2003
=28	BelgiumBelgium	99%	2003
=28	IrelandIreland	99%	2003
=28	AustraliaAustralia	99%	2003
=28	United StatesUnited States	99%	2003
=28	SwedenSweden	99%	2003
=28	DenmarkDenmark	99%	2003
=28	IcelandIceland	99%	2003
=28	SwitzerlandSwitzerland	99%	2003
=28	CanadaCanada	99%	2003
=28	GermanyGermany	99%	2003
=28	United KingdomUnited Kingdom	99%	2003
=28	NetherlandsNetherlands	99%	2003
=28	MonacoMonaco	99%	2003
=28	FranceFrance	99%	2003
=28	JapanJapan	99%	2002
=28	GuamGuam	99%	1990
=28	Saint Pierre and MiquelonSt Pierre+	99%	1982
51	HungaryHungary	98.9%	2011
52	ItalyItaly	98.7%	2011
53	SamoaSamoa	98.6%	2003
=54	Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad+	98.5%	2011
=54	MoldovaMoldova	98.5%	2011
=54	UruguayUruguay	98.5%	2010
=54	ChileChile	98.5%	2009
58	MaldivesMaldives	98.4%	2006
59	CroatiaCroatia	98.3%	2011
60	CyprusCyprus	98.1%	2011
=61	BulgariaBulgaria	98%	2011
=61	Saint HelenaSaint Helena	98%	1987
=61	Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da CunhaSaint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha	98%	1987
=61	French PolynesiaFr. Polynesia	98%	1977
=61	Turks and Caicos IslandsTurks+	98%	1970
=66	MongoliaMongolia	97.9%	2011
=66	ArgentinaArgentina	97.9%	2011
68	MontenegroMontenegro	97.6%	2011
69	RomaniaRomania	97.1%	2011
=70	SpainSpain	97%	2010
=70	American SamoaAmerican Samoa	97%	1980
=70	MontserratMontserrat	97%	1970
73	SerbiaSerbia	96.9%	2011
=74	Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina	96.7%	2011
=74	ArubaAruba	96.7%	2010
76	South KoreaSouth Korea	96.6%	2002
=77	Costa RicaCosta Rica	96.5%	2011
=77	The BahamasThe Bahamas	96.5%	2003
79	GreeceGreece	96.3%	2011
=80	Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia Rep.	96%	2011
=80	Northern Mariana IslandsN. Mariana	96%	1980
=80	Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSt Vincent+	96%	1970
83	IsraelIsrael	95.9%	2004
84	PhilippinesPhilippines	95.8%	2008
85	AlbaniaAlbania	95.7%	2011
86	LesothoLesotho	95.6%	2010
87	New CaledoniaNew Caledonia	95.5%	1996
=88	QatarQatar	95.4%	2010
=88	VenezuelaVenezuela	95.4%	2009
=90	San MarinoSan Marino	95%	2013
=90	AnguillaAnguilla	95%	1984
=92	PortugalPortugal	94%	2011
=92	SurinameSuriname	94%	2010
=92	DominicaDominica	94%	2003
=95	JordanJordan	93.9%	2011
=95	BruneiBrunei	93.9%	2011
97	SingaporeSingapore	93.8%	2010
=98	ColombiaColombia	93.7%	2011
=98	MacauMacau	93.7%	2011
=98	Marshall IslandsMarshall Isl.	93.7%	1999
=101	PanamaPanama	93.5%	2010
=101	MaltaMalta	93.5%	2005
103	ParaguayParaguay	92.9%	2010
104	ChinaChina	92.7%	2010
=105	West BankWest Bank	92.6%	2013
=105	Gaza StripGaza Strip	92.6%	2013
=107	SeychellesSeychelles	92.3%	2011
=107	MexicoMexico	92.3%	2011
109	South AfricaSouth Africa	92.2%	2011
110	FijiFiji	91.9%	2003
=111	JamaicaJamaica	91.8%	2011
=111	KuwaitKuwait	91.8%	2008
=113	BahrainBahrain	91.6%	2010
=113	GuyanaGuyana	91.6%	2002
=115	ThailandThailand	91.5%	2005
=115	United Arab EmiratesUAE	91.5%	2005
117	VietnamVietnam	91.4%	2011
118	Equatorial GuineaEqu. Guinea	91.1%	2011
119	Puerto RicoPuerto Rico	90.9%	2011
=120	MalaysiaMalaysia	90.7%	2010
=120	BrazilBrazil	90.7%	2010
122	Saint LuciaSaint Lucia	90.6%	2001
123	BurmaBurma	90.4%	2011
124	TurkeyTurkey	90.3%	2011
=125	EcuadorEcuador	90.2%	2011
=125	Dominican RepublicDominican Rep.	90.2%	2011
127	IndonesiaIndonesia	90.1%	2011
=128	Sri LankaSri Lanka	90%	2010
=128	PalauPalau	90%	1980
130	Hong KongHong Kong	89.6%	2002
131	NamibiaNamibia	88.5%	2010
132	Federated States of MicronesiaMicronesia	88%	1980
133	KosovoKosovo	87.5%	2007
134	SwazilandSwaziland	87.3%	2011
135	BoliviaBolivia	86.8%	2009
136	MauritiusMauritius	86.7%	2011
137	LebanonLebanon	86%	2007
=138	GabonGabon	85.6%	2011
=138	BotswanaBotswana	85.6%	2011
140	HondurasHonduras	84.9%	2011
141	PeruPeru	84.6%	2007
142	KenyaKenya	84.2%	2010
143	LibyaLibya	83.3%	2011
144	El SalvadorEl Salvador	82.3%	2010
145	Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia	82.2%	2011
146	OmanOman	81.8%	2010
147	IranIran	80.7%	2008
148	Cape VerdeCape Verde	80.3%	2011
149	ZimbabweZimbabwe	80.1%	2011
150	Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands	79.2%	2013
151	Congo, Republic of theCongo, Republic of the	78.4%	2003
152	NicaraguaNicaragua	77.9%	2005
153	SyriaSyria	77.7%	2011
154	BelizeBelize	77.1%	2000
155	IraqIraq	71.2%	2011
=156	GuatemalaGuatemala	71.1%	2011
=156	TunisiaTunisia	71.1%	2010
158	ComorosComoros	70.6%	2011
159	MalawiMalawi	68.5%	2010
160	RwandaRwanda	67.5%	2010
161	CambodiaCambodia	65.9%	2009
162	EgyptEgypt	65.8%	2012
163	GhanaGhana	65.3%	2010
164	CameroonCameroon	64.8%	2010
165	UgandaUganda	64.6%	2010
166	AlgeriaAlgeria	63.9%	2006
=167	SudanSudan	63.2%	2013
=167	LaosLaos	63.2%	2005
169	BurundiBurundi	61.8%	2010
170	MadagascarMadagascar	61.6%	2009
171	TanzaniaTanzania	60.8%	2010
172	Sao Tome and PrincipeSoa Tome+	60.1%	2008
173	Papua New GuineaPapua NG	59.4%	2011
174	EritreaEritrea	59%	2011
175	AngolaAngola	58.6%	2011
176	DjiboutiDjibouti	58.4%	2003
177	MoroccoMorocco	57.6%	2011
178	Democratic Republic of the CongoCongo, DR.	57%	2010
179	LiberiaLiberia	56.8%	2010
180	BangladeshBangladesh	53.4%	2011
181	East TimorEast Timor	53%	2010
182	MauritaniaMauritania	52%	2011
183	ZambiaZambia	51.8%	2007
184	IndiaIndia	50.8%	2006
185	NigeriaNigeria	50.4%	2010
186	Wallis and FutunaWallis+	50%	1969
187	YemenYemen	48.5%	2011
188	TogoTogo	48%	2011
189	Cote d'IvoireCote d'Ivoire	47.6%	2011
190	NepalNepal	46.7%	2011
191	HaitiHaiti	44.6%	2006
192	Central African RepublicCentral Africa	44.2%	2011
193	MozambiqueMozambique	42.8%	2010
194	Guinea-BissauGuinea-Bissau	42.1%	2011
195	The GambiaThe Gambia	41.9%	2011
196	PakistanPakistan	40.3%	2009
=197	SenegalSenegal	38.7%	2009
=197	BhutanBhutan	38.7%	2005
199	Sierra LeoneSierra Leone	32.6%	2011
200	BeninBenin	30.3%	2010
201	GuineaGuinea	30%	2010
202	EthiopiaEthiopia	28.9%	2007
203	SomaliaSomalia	25.8%	2001
204	ChadChad	25.4%	2011
205	MaliMali	24.6%	2011
206	Burkina FasoBurkina Faso	21.6%	2007
207	South SudanSouth Sudan	16%	2012
208	NigerNiger	15.1%	2005
209	AfghanistanAfghanistan	12.6%	2000

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