What percent of the world is illiterate 2023?

Worldwide, around 773 million youth (aged 15 to 24) and adults cannot read or write – 24% of those reside in Sub-Saharan Africa. As of 2020, the global literacy rate for all people aged 15 and above is 86.3%. Approximately 11.82% of the world population is illiterate, based on data from World Bank.

What percentage of the world is illiterate?

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%.

How many people are illiterate 2023?

US Literacy Rates

This means that 21%, or about 43 million adults, have low literacy skills, bordering on illiteracy. These low literacy levels have various impacts on the wider nation, and can negatively affect the U.S. economy due to the loss of employment opportunities and workforce productivity.

What country has the lowest literacy rate 2023?

State of Literacy Around the World

Burkina Faso (38%), Niger (19%) and South Sudan (32%) are the countries with the lowest literacy (CIA World Factbook).

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.

Literacy Rate by Country 2022

How many people are illiterate today?

Functional illiteracy is defined as the inability to read and comprehend relatively short texts or understand basic vocabulary. Illiteracy affects 18% of US adults (approximately 57.4 million people), most commonly impacting black people, Hispanic people, and low-income individuals.

Is most of the world illiterate?

The global literacy rate currently stands at 87%, up from 12% in 1820. Most developed countries have achieved a 99% literacy rate.

What country has 100% literacy?

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.

Why is US literacy 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 state reads the least?

New Hampshire has the highest literacy rate of 94.2%. California has the lowest literacy rate of only 76.9%. 68% of US 4th-graders are below the optimal reading level proficiency. Adult illiteracy costs the US up to $2.2 trillion each year.

What percent of kids are illiterate?

Biennial testing through NAEP consistently shows that two thirds of U.S. children are unable to read with proficiency. An astounding 40 percent are essentially nonreaders.

Do 54% of adults have a literacy below 6th grade level?

130 million Americans—54% of adults between the ages of 16 and 74 years old—lack proficiency in literacy, essentially reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level. Often, counties with the lowest literacy rates are the same areas that experience poor health, poverty, and low economic mobility.

How many people Cannot read?

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.

Why is illiteracy a problem?

Illiteracy can cause immeasurable damage to an individual's emotional and intellectual development, and often limits a person's ability to achieve a fulfilling and successful adult life. Strong literacy aligns with the ways that individuals learn and socially interact.

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.

Who has the lowest literacy rate in the world?

The Geography of Illiteracy

South Sudan ranks lowest of them all, with a literacy rate of just 27%, followed by Afghanistan at 28.1%, Burkina Faso at 28.7%, Niger at 28.7%, Mali at 33.4%, Chad at 35.4%, Somalia at 37.8%, Ethiopia at 39%, Guinea at 41% and Benin at 42.4%.

Where does America rank in literacy?

And while you might think that the United States is at the forefront of literacy and education, it ranks 125th for literacy rate among all countries. [ii] The reasons for that are quite complex. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is comprised of 35 countries, most of which are from Europe.

What is the literacy rate in Russia?

Literacy Rate in Russia Overview

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.

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.

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 is the literacy rate in 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.

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.

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 children in the world Cannot read?

How many children cannot read? Although it's impossible to know exactly how many children around the world cannot read or write, UNESCO reports that 250 million children lack basic literacy skills.