How much of the world is illiterate?

In the past five decades, the global literacy rate among adults has grown from 67 percent in 1976 to 87.01 percent in 2022. In 1976, males had a literacy rate of 76 percent, compared to a rate of 58 percent among females. This difference of over 17 percent in 1976 has fallen to just seven percent in 2020.

What percentage of people is illiterate?

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. 21% of Americans 18 and older are illiterate in 2022.

How many people are illiterate in the world?

Over 75% of the world's 781 million illiterate adults are found in South Asia, West Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, and women represent almost two-thirds of all illiterate adults globally.

What percent of the world can't read and write?

International Literacy Day, on 8 September, is a reminder that 773 million adults in the world (around 14% of the population) cannot read or write. Two-thirds of them are women. Yet literacy is a fundamental human right.

What country has 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.

The Rise of Global Literacy Rate Since 1980

Which country has lowest literacy rate?

Are literacy rates declining?

First study on state of global education since COVID-19 pandemic also focused on the mental state of students. A global education survey has revealed an “unprecedented” decline in academic progress in many countries.

What is the literacy rate of China?

Literacy Rate in China (2018-2021, %)

Between 2018-2021, the literacy rate was highest in the year 2021 and lowest in the year 2018. 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.

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 poor people are illiterate?

Top U.S. Literacy Rate Statistics

14% of U.S. adults can't read. 21% of adults read below a 5th-grade level. 19% of high school graduates can't read. 43% of adults with low literacy live in poverty.

What percent of America is illiterate?

21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2024. 54% of adults have a literacy below a 6th-grade level (20% are below 5th-grade level). Low levels of literacy costs the US up to 2.2 trillion per year. 34% of adults lacking literacy proficiency were born outside the US.

Why is US literacy so low?

Hispanics, older people, and incarcerated people are more likely to be low literate than other US adults. Major factors influencing literacy development include education, socioeconomic status, learning English as a second language, learning disabilities, and crime.

Is illiteracy a disability?

Illiteracy is not considered to be a medical condition by the Social Security administration. It is considered to be a level of education. Therefore, a claimant cannot draw disability on the basis of illiteracy, alone.

Why is literacy falling?

November 2, 2022

While California's literacy crisis certainly predates the pandemic, with less than half of California children reading at grade level back in 2019, the fallout of the pandemic, the devastating impact of school closures and remote learning, has sent test scores plummeting further.

Are we in a literacy crisis?

There is currently a literacy crisis happening in the U.S., one that disproportionately affects students of color, and that cannot be ignored. Literacy is one of the major civil rights issues of our time, and our children's future — and our nation's democracy — depends on us addressing it now.

Is literacy in the US declining?

According to McKinsey & Company, U.S. students lost the equivalent of nearly half a school year in reading instruction due to the pandemic. In 2022, reading scores dropped to levels that we haven't seen since 2005.

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 states have lowest literacy?

The states with the lowest literacy rates are New Mexico, California, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

What is Brazil's literacy rate?

The statistic depicts the literacy rate in Brazil from 2008 to 2018, as well as for 2021. The literacy rate measures the percentage of people aged 15 and above who can read and write. In 2022, Brazil's literacy rate was around 94.69 percent.

What is France's literacy rate?

Education is a priority in France, with 21 percent of the annual national budget earmarked for education. The country boasts a 99 percent literacy rate. France's higher education history is lengthy. The University of Paris, one of the world's oldest universities, was founded in 1215.

What percent of the world can read?

The global literacy rate currently stands at 87%, up from 12% in 1820. Most developed countries have achieved a 99% literacy rate. But as this Statista graph shows, strong regional inequalities remain.

When did most people become literate?

It was only in the 19th and 20th centuries that rates of literacy approached universality in early-industrialized countries. The following visualization presents estimates of world literacy for the period 1800-2016.