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Countries of the world - by Literacy rate |
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Created: Monday, 09 July 2007 |
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Updated: Monday, 09 July 2007 |
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List of countries by literacy rate, as included in the United Nations Development Programme Report 2005

| Rank |
Country |
Literacy rate |
| 1 |
Austria |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Belgium |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Canada |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Czech Republic |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Denmark |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Finland |
99.9 |
| 1 |
France |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Georgia |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Germany |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Iceland |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Ireland (republic of) |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Japan |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Luxembourg |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Netherlands |
99.9 |
| 1 |
New Zealand |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Norway |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Sweden |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Switzerland |
99.9 |
| 1 |
Trinidad and Tobago |
99.9 |
| 1 |
United Kingdom |
99.9 |
| 1 |
United States |
99.9 |
| 22 |
Estonia |
99.8 |
| 22 |
Montenegro |
99.8 |
| 24 |
Barbados |
99.7 |
| 24 |
Latvia |
99.7 |
| 24 |
Poland |
99.7 |
| 24 |
Slovenia |
99.7 |
| 28 |
Belarus |
99.6 |
| 28 |
Lithuania |
99.6 |
| 28 |
Slovakia |
99.6 |
| 31 |
Kazakhstan |
99.5 |
| 31 |
Tajikistan |
99.5 |
| 33 |
Armenia |
99.4 |
| 33 |
Russian Federation |
99.4 |
| 33 |
Ukraine |
99.4 |
| 36 |
Hungary |
99.3 |
| 36 |
Uzbekistan |
99.3 |
| 38 |
Tonga |
98.9 |
| 39 |
Azerbaijan |
98.8 |
| 39 |
Turkmenistan |
98.8 |
| 41 |
Albania |
98.7 |
| 41 |
Kyrgyzstan |
98.7 |
| 41 |
Samoa |
98.7 |
| 44 |
Italy |
98.5 |
| 45 |
Romania |
98.4 |
| 46 |
Bulgaria |
98.2 |
| 47 |
Croatia |
98.1 |
| 48 |
South Korea |
97.9 |
| 49 |
Mongolia |
97.8 |
| 49 |
Greece |
97.8 |
| 50 |
Spain |
97.7 |
| 51 |
Uruguay |
97.7 |
| 52 |
Argentina |
97.5 |
| 53 |
Maldives |
97.2 |
| 54 |
Cuba |
96.9 |
| 55 |
Israel |
96.9 |
| 56 |
Cyprus |
96.8 |
| 57 |
Guyana |
96.5 |
| 58 |
Moldova |
96.2 |
| 59 |
Republic of Macedonia |
96.1 |
| 60 |
Taiwan |
96.1 |
| 61 |
Grenada |
96.0 |
| 62 |
Costa Rica |
95.8 |
| 63 |
Chile |
95.7 |
| 64 |
Bahamas |
95.5 |
| 65 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
94.6 |
| 66 |
Colombia |
94.2 |
| 67 |
Hong Kong S.A.R. of the People's Republic of China |
93.5 |
| 68 |
Venezuela |
93.0 |
| 79 |
Fiji |
92.9 |
| 70 |
Brunei |
92.7 |
| 71 |
Philippines |
92.6 |
| 71 |
Thailand |
92.6 |
| 72 |
Malta |
92.5 |
| 72 |
Portugal |
92.5 |
| 72 |
Singapore |
92.5 |
| 73 |
Palestinian territories |
91.9 |
| 74 |
Panama |
91.9 |
| 74 |
Seychelles |
91.9 |
| 75 |
Paraguay |
91.6 |
| 76 |
Ecuador |
91.0 |
| 77 |
People's Republic of China (mainland only) |
90.9 |
| 78 |
Sri Lanka |
90.4 |
| 79 |
Mexico |
90.3 |
| 79 |
Vietnam |
90.3 |
| 80 |
Saint Lucia |
90.1 |
| 81 |
Zimbabwe |
90.0 |
| 82 |
Jordan |
89.9 |
| 83 |
Myanmar |
89.7 |
| 84 |
Qatar |
89.2 |
| 85 |
Malaysia |
88.7 |
| 86 |
Brazil |
88.4 |
| 87 |
Turkey |
88.3 |
| 88 |
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines |
88.1 |
| 89 |
Dominica |
88.0 |
| 89 |
Suriname |
88.0 |
| 90 |
Indonesia |
87.9 |
| 91 |
Bahrain |
87.7 |
| 91 |
Dominican Republic |
87.7 |
| 91 |
Peru |
87.7 |
| 92 |
Jamaica |
87.6 |
| 93 |
Bolivia |
86.5 |
| 93 |
Lebanon |
86.5 |
| 94 |
Antigua and Barbuda |
85.8 |
| 95 |
Namibia |
85.0 |
| 96 |
Mauritius |
84.3 |
| 97 |
Equatorial Guinea |
84.2 |
| 98 |
São Tomé and Principe |
83.1 |
| 99 |
Kuwait |
82.9 |
| 99 |
Syria |
82.9 |
| 100 |
Congo |
82.8 |
| 110 |
South Africa |
82.4 |
| 111 |
Libya |
81.7 |
| 112 |
Lesotho |
81.4 |
| 113 |
Iran |
80.0 |
| 113 |
Honduras |
80.0 |
| 115 |
El Salvador |
79.7 |
| 116 |
Saudi Arabia |
79.4 |
| 117 |
Swaziland |
79.2 |
| 118 |
Botswana |
78.9 |
| 119 |
United Arab Emirates |
77.3 |
| 120 |
Belize |
76.9 |
| 121 |
Nicaragua |
76.7 |
| 122 |
Solomon Islands |
76.6 |
| 123 |
Cape Verde |
75.7 |
| 124 |
Oman |
74.4 |
| 125 |
Tunisia |
74.3 |
| 126 |
Vanuatu |
74.0 |
| 127 |
Cambodia |
73.6 |
| 127 |
Kenya |
73.6 |
| 129 |
Gabon |
71.0 |
| 130 |
Madagascar |
70.6 |
| 131 |
Algeria |
69.8 |
| 132 |
Tanzania |
78.2 |
| 133 |
Guatemala |
69.1 |
| 134 |
Uganda |
68.9 |
| 135 |
Laos |
68.7 |
| 136 |
Cameroon |
67.9 |
| 136 |
Zambia |
67.9 |
| 138 |
Angola |
66.8 |
| 138 |
Nigeria |
66.8 |
| 140 |
Djibouti |
65.5 |
| 141 |
Democratic Republic of Congo |
65.3 |
| 142 |
Malawi |
64.1 |
| 143 |
Rwanda |
64.0 |
| 144 |
India |
61.0 |
| 145 |
Sudan |
59.0 |
| 146 |
Burundi |
58.9 |
| 147 |
Timor-Leste |
58.6 |
| 148 |
Papua New Guinea |
57.3 |
| 149 |
Eritrea |
56.7 |
| 150 |
Comoros |
56.2 |
| 151 |
Egypt |
55.6 |
| 152 |
Ghana |
54.1 |
| 153 |
Togo |
53.0 |
| 154 |
Haiti |
51.9 |
| 155 |
Mauritania |
51.2 |
| 156 |
Morocco |
50.7 |
| 157 |
Yemen |
49.0 |
| 158 |
Pakistan |
48.7 |
| 159 |
Central African Republic |
48.6 |
| 159 |
Nepal |
48.6 |
| 161 |
Côte dIvoire |
48.1 |
| 162 |
Bhutan |
47.0 |
| 163 |
Mozambique |
46.5 |
| 164 |
Ethiopia |
41.5 |
| 165 |
Bangladesh |
41.1 |
| 166 |
Guinea |
41.0 |
| 167 |
Guinea-Bissau |
39.6 |
| 168 |
Senegal |
39.3 |
| 169 |
Gambia |
37.8 |
| 170 |
Afghanistan |
36.0 |
| 171 |
Benin |
33.6 |
| 172 |
Sierra Leone |
29.6 |
| 173 |
Chad |
25.5 |
| 174 |
Mali |
19.0 |
| 175 |
Niger |
14.4 |
| 176 |
Burkina Faso |
12.8 |
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