People > Literacy > Male: 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	Greenland	100%	2013
=1	Andorra	100%	2013
=1	Luxembourg	100%	2013
=1	Liechtenstein	100%	2013
=1	Finland	100%	2013
=1	Norway	100%	2013
=1	Holy See (Vatican City)	100%	2013
=1	North Korea	100%	2013
=9	Poland	99.9%	2013
=9	Azerbaijan	99.9%	2013
=11	Kazakhstan	99.8%	2013
=11	Belarus	99.8%	2013
=11	Latvia	99.8%	2013
=11	Ukraine	99.8%	2013
=11	Cuba	99.8%	2013
=11	Estonia	99.8%	2013
=11	Georgia	99.8%	2013
=11	Tajikistan	99.8%	2013
	Former Soviet republics average (profile)	99.73%	2013
=19	Russia	99.7%	2013
=19	Armenia	99.7%	2013
=19	Slovenia	99.7%	2013
=19	Lithuania	99.7%	2013
=19	Barbados	99.7%	2013
=19	Slovakia	99.7%	2013
=19	Turkmenistan	99.7%	2013
26	Uzbekistan	99.6%	2013
=27	Kyrgyzstan	99.5%	2013
=27	Croatia	99.5%	2013
=27	Moldova	99.5%	2013
=27	Bosnia and Herzegovina	99.5%	2013
31	Montenegro	99.4%	2013
32	Cyprus	99.3%	2013
	Eastern Europe average (profile)	99.25%	2013
=33	Serbia	99.2%	2013
=33	Hungary	99.2%	2013
=33	Trinidad and Tobago	99.2%	2013
=33	Italy	99.2%	2013
=33	South Korea	99.2%	2013
	High income OECD countries average (profile)	99.08%	2013
	NATO countries average (profile)	99.05%	2013
	Group of 7 countries (G7) average (profile)	99.03%	2013
=38	Germany	99%	2013
=38	Iceland	99%	2013
=38	Switzerland	99%	2013
=38	Belgium	99%	2013
=38	Japan	99%	2013
=38	Sweden	99%	2013
=38	United States	99%	2013
=38	Tonga	99%	2013
=38	Czech Republic	99%	2013
=38	Guam	99%	2013
=38	New Zealand	99%	2013
=38	Samoa	99%	2013
=38	United Kingdom	99%	2013
=38	Denmark	99%	2013
=38	Australia	99%	2013
=38	Ireland	99%	2013
=38	Turks and Caicos Islands	99%	2013
=38	France	99%	2013
=38	Monaco	99%	2013
=38	Netherlands	99%	2013
=38	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	99%	2013
=38	Canada	99%	2013
	Europe average (profile)	98.99%	2013
	European Union average (profile)	98.85%	2013
=60	Bulgaria	98.7%	2013
=60	Cayman Islands	98.7%	2013
=60	Republic of Macedonia	98.7%	2013
	Eurozone average (profile)	98.68%	2013
63	Chile	98.6%	2013
	Potential Future EU Members average (profile)	98.54%	2013
=64	Spain	98.5%	2013
=64	Israel	98.5%	2013
=66	Antigua and Barbuda	98.4%	2013
=66	Greece	98.4%	2013
=66	Maldives	98.4%	2013
	Non-religious countries average (profile)	98.38%	2013
69	Romania	98.3%	2013
=70	Singapore	98%	2013
=70	French Polynesia	98%	2013
=70	Bermuda	98%	2013
=70	Albania	98%	2013
=70	American Samoa	98%	2013
=75	West Bank	97.9%	2013
=75	Gaza Strip	97.9%	2013
=75	Turkey	97.9%	2013
	Cold countries average (profile)	97.81%	2013
=78	Macau	97.8%	2013
=78	Argentina	97.8%	2013
80	Jordan	97.7%	2013
81	Uruguay	97.6%	2013
	Southern Europe average (profile)	97.58%	2013
82	China	97.5%	2013
83	Equatorial Guinea	97.1%	2013
	Tourist destinations average (profile)	97.01%	2013
=84	Montserrat	97%	2013
=84	Brunei	97%	2013
=84	Northern Mariana Islands	97%	2013
=84	San Marino	97%	2013
=84	Portugal	97%	2013
=84	Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha	97%	2013
=84	Saint Helena	97%	2011
=91	Aruba	96.9%	2013
=91	Hong Kong	96.9%	2013
=93	New Caledonia	96.8%	2013
=93	Mongolia	96.8%	2013
95	Kosovo	96.6%	2013
96	Qatar	96.5%	2013
97	Bahrain	96.1%	2013
=98	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	96%	2013
=98	Costa Rica	96%	2013
=100	Bolivia	95.8%	2013
=100	Libya	95.8%	2013
102	Venezuela	95.7%	2013
=103	Thailand	95.6%	2013
=103	Indonesia	95.6%	2013
105	Fiji	95.5%	2013
=106	Vietnam	95.4%	2013
=106	Suriname	95.4%	2013
=106	Malaysia	95.4%	2013
109	Burma	95.1%	2013
=110	Kuwait	95%	2013
=110	Anguilla	95%	2013
=110	Philippines	95%	2013
	Emerging markets average (profile)	95%	2013
113	Peru	94.9%	2013
=114	Paraguay	94.8%	2013
=114	Mexico	94.8%	2013
=116	The Bahamas	94.7%	2013
=116	Panama	94.7%	2013
118	Dominica	94%	2013
119	South Africa	93.9%	2013
120	Marshall Islands	93.6%	2013
121	Colombia	93.5%	2013
122	Lebanon	93.4%	2013
	Heavily indebted countries average (profile)	93.17%	2013
123	Ecuador	93.1%	2013
	Former Spanish colonies average (profile)	93.05%	2013
124	Palau	93%	2013
	East Asia and Pacific average (profile)	92.77%	2013
125	Sri Lanka	92.6%	2013
	Catholic countries average (profile)	92.53%	2013
126	Gabon	92.3%	2013
127	Guyana	92%	2013
	Latin America and Caribbean average (profile)	91.87%	2013
128	Seychelles	91.4%	2013
129	Malta	91.2%	2013
130	Mauritius	91.1%	2013
	Christian countries average (profile)	91.09%	2013
131	Federated States of Micronesia	91%	2013
132	Saudi Arabia	90.8%	2013
133	Kenya	90.6%	2013
134	Syria	90.3%	2013
135	Oman	90.2%	2013
136	Brazil	90.1%	2013
137	Dominican Republic	90%	2013
	Middle Eastern and North Africa average (profile)	89.87%	2013
=138	Puerto Rico	89.7%	2013
=138	Cape Verde	89.7%	2013
140	Congo, Republic of the	89.6%	2013
=141	Saint Lucia	89.5%	2013
=141	United Arab Emirates	89.5%	2013
143	Iran	89.3%	2013
144	Namibia	89%	2013
145	Solomon Islands	88.9%	2013
	OPEC countries average (profile)	88.6%	2013
146	Swaziland	88.4%	2013
147	Zimbabwe	87.8%	2013
148	Tunisia	87.4%	2013
149	El Salvador	87.1%	2013
	Religious countries average (profile)	86.44%	2013
	Former British colonies average (profile)	86.11%	2013
150	Iraq	86%	2013
151	Honduras	85.3%	2013
152	Botswana	84.6%	2013
	Sparsely populated countries average (profile)	83.94%	2013
	Hot countries average (profile)	83.52%	2013
	Landlocked countries average (profile)	83.5%	2013
153	Lesotho	83.3%	2013
154	Cambodia	82.8%	2013
	South and Central Asia average (profile)	82.65%	2013
=155	Uganda	82.6%	2013
=155	Angola	82.6%	2013
157	Laos	82.5%	2013
=158	Jamaica	82.1%	2013
=158	Yemen	82.1%	2013
160	Egypt	81.7%	2013
161	Algeria	81.3%	2013
162	Guatemala	81.2%	2013
163	Malawi	81.1%	2013
	Muslim countries average (profile)	80.73%	2013
164	Sudan	80.7%	2013
165	Comoros	80.5%	2013
166	Sao Tome and Principe	80.3%	2013
167	Eritrea	79.5%	2013
=168	Ghana	78.3%	2013
=168	Cameroon	78.3%	2013
170	Nicaragua	78.1%	2013
171	Djibouti	78%	2013
172	Democratic Republic of the Congo	76.9%	2013
173	Belize	76.7%	2013
174	Morocco	76.1%	2013
175	Tanzania	75.5%	2013
176	India	75.2%	2013
177	Rwanda	74.8%	2013
178	Togo	74.1%	2013
179	Burundi	72.9%	2013
	Sub-Saharan Africa average (profile)	72.15%	2013
180	Nigeria	72.1%	2013
181	Zambia	71.9%	2013
182	Nepal	71.1%	2013
183	Mozambique	70.8%	2013
	Former French colonies average (profile)	69.65%	2013
184	Central African Republic	69.6%	2013
185	Guinea-Bissau	68.9%	2013
186	Pakistan	68.6%	2013
187	Madagascar	67.4%	2013
188	Cote d'Ivoire	65.6%	2013
189	Papua New Guinea	65.4%	2013
190	Mauritania	65.3%	2013
	failed states average (profile)	65.13%	2013
191	Bhutan	65%	2013
192	Liberia	64.8%	2013
193	East Timor	63.6%	2013
	South Asia average (profile)	62.78%	2013
194	Bangladesh	62%	2013
195	Senegal	61.8%	2013
196	The Gambia	60.9%	2013
197	Benin	55.2%	2013
198	Sierra Leone	54.7%	2013
199	Haiti	53.4%	2013
200	Guinea	52%	2013
201	Wallis and Futuna	50%	2013
202	Somalia	49.7%	2013
203	Ethiopia	49.1%	2013
204	Chad	45.6%	2013
=205	Afghanistan	43.1%	2013
=205	Mali	43.1%	2013
207	Niger	42.9%	2013
208	South Sudan	40%	2013
209	Burkina Faso	36.7%	2013

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