How many people in the world are functionally illiterate?

According to the International Literacy Association, there are 781 million people in the world who are either illiterate (cannot read a single word) or functionally illiterate (with a basic or below basic ability to read). Some 126 million of them are young people.

What percentage of the population is functionally illiterate?

Illiteracy affects a person's ability to fully participate in and contribute to the world around them. About 18% of the US adult population is functionally illiterate. Hispanics, older people, and incarcerated people are more likely to be low literate than other US adults.

What percentage of the world is illiterate?

While only 12% of the people in the world could read and write in 1820, today the share has reversed: only 14% of the world population, in 2016, remained illiterate.

What is the functional literacy rate of the world?

The global literacy rate for all people aged 15 and above is 86.3%. The global literacy rate for all males is 90.0%, and the rate for all females is 82.7%.

What reading level is functionally illiterate?

Adults classified as below level 1 may be considered functionally illiterate in English: i.e., unable to successfully determine the meaning of sentences, read relatively short texts to locate a single piece of information, or complete simple forms (OECD 2013).

Why 36 million American adults can't read enough to work — and how to help them

Why is US literacy rate so low?

The burden of poverty places significant constraints on individuals' educational opportunities. Limited access to books, educational resources, and enrichment activities can hinder literacy development, perpetuating the cycle of low literacy rates within families and communities.

What country has the lowest literacy rate?

How many people in the world Cannot read?

Despite the steady rise in literacy rates over the past 50 years, there are still 773 million illiterate adults around the world, most of whom are women.

What is Russia's literacy rate?

Literacy Rate in Russia (2010-2021, %)

The literacy rate reached 99.69% in 2021. Between 2010 to 2021, the literacy rate of Russia decreased by 0.02%. On a year-on-year basis, the literacy rate decreased slightly in 2021.

Which is the largest population of illiterate?

1. India is home to the largest population of 287 million illiterate adults in the world. This amounts to 37% of the global total.

How many people are illiterate 2023?

But illiteracy remains a global problem. At least 763 million adults around the globe lack basic literacy skills, and two-thirds of them are women. The COVID-19 pandemic and other crisis, such as climate change and international conflicts, have worsened these issues, according to UNESCO.

How common is functional illiteracy?

However, functional illiteracy is more common than you might think. Some estimates suggest that 1 in 7 people in the United States and the United Kingdom struggles with literacy skills.

Are 54% of American adults functionally illiterate?

About 130 million adults in the U.S. have low literacy skills according to a Gallup analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Education. This means more than half of Americans between the ages of 16 and 74 (54%) read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.

Which US state has the highest literacy rate?

Highest Literacy Rates

New Hampshire has the highest literacy rate in the US, with a rate of 88.5%. Alaska has the second highest literacy rate, at 87.3%, and Vermont is the third state with the highest literacy rate, at 87.2%.

Are literacy rates declining?

In fact, results from national and international exams in 2019 found that reading performance among American students was on the decline, in turn widening gaps between high and low performers. Specifically, almost two-thirds of U.S. students were unable to read at grade level prior to the pandemic.

What is the literacy rate of China?

The literacy rate reached 99.83% in 2021. Between 2015 to 2021, the literacy rate of China grew by 0.106%. On a year-on-year basis, the literacy rate increased by 0.018% in 2021. Literacy is defined by the percentage of the literate population of a particular age group.

What is the literacy rate of Japan?

Qualities of the Japanese educational system

Japan's adult literacy rate is at around 99 percent. According to the results of OECD's PISA Programme, Japanese fifteen-year-olds showcased high levels of education in the international comparison, scoring higher than the OECD standard in all rounds of assessment.

Does the US have a 100% literacy rate?

Nationwide, on average, 79% of U.S. adults are literate in 2022. 21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2022. 54% of adults have a literacy below sixth-grade level.

Why is North Korea literacy rate so high?

Part of the reason is the influence of Confucianism in Korea, and the genius of the hangul language, invented by King Sejong hundreds of years ago. It can be learned by anyone in less than a week. There is a great emphasis in education in both South AND North Korea, and they both have extremely high literacy rates.

Which US state has the lowest literacy rate?

1. California

California's 23.1% of adults lacking basic prose literacy skills make California have the lowest literacy rate of 76.9%.

What country has a 100% literacy rate?

Literacy Rates by Country

There are nine countries in the world that have a 100% literacy rate: Andorra, Finland, Greenland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and North Korea.

Who has the lowest literacy rate in US?

The top 5 states in the US by literacy rate include Minnesota (94.0%), North Dakota (93.7%), Vermont (93.4%), and South Dakota (93.0%). California has the lowest literacy rate in the US, at 76.9%.