Percentage of the population ages 15 and older who can, with understanding, both read and write a short simple statement on their everyday life.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2012). Data Centre. Accessed 15 October, 2012 http://stats.uis.unesco.org
Data in the tables are those available to the Human Development Report Office as of 15 October 2012, unless otherwise specified.
| HDI Rank | Country | 2010 |
|---|---|---|
| .. | Very high human development | .. |
| .. | High human development | .. |
| .. | Medium human development | .. |
| .. | Low human development | .. |
| 1 | Norway | .. |
| 2 | Australia | .. |
| 3 | United States | .. |
| 4 | Netherlands | .. |
| 5 | Germany | .. |
| 6 | New Zealand | .. |
| 7 | Ireland | .. |
| 8 | Sweden | .. |
| 9 | Switzerland | .. |
| 10 | Japan | .. |
| 11 | Canada | .. |
| 12 | Korea (Republic of) | .. |
| 13 | Iceland | .. |
| 13 | Hong Kong, China (SAR) | .. |
| 15 | Denmark | .. |
| 16 | Israel | .. |
| 17 | Belgium | .. |
| 18 | Singapore | 96.1 1 2 |
| 18 | Austria | .. |
| 20 | France | .. |
| 21 | Slovenia | 99.7 1 3 |
| 21 | Finland | .. |
| 23 | Spain | 97.7 1 |
| 24 | Liechtenstein | .. |
| 25 | Italy | 98.9 1 3 |
| 26 | United Kingdom | .. |
| 26 | Luxembourg | .. |
| 28 | Czech Republic | .. |
| 29 | Greece | 97.2 1 3 |
| 30 | Brunei Darussalam | 95.2 1 3 |
| 31 | Cyprus | 98.3 1 3 |
| 32 | Malta | 92.4 1 |
| 33 | Estonia | 99.8 1 3 |
| 33 | Andorra | .. |
| 35 | Slovakia | .. |
| 36 | Qatar | 96.3 1 |
| 37 | Hungary | 99.0 1 4 |
| 38 | Barbados | .. |
| 39 | Poland | 99.5 1 4 |
| 40 | Chile | 98.6 1 |
| 41 | United Arab Emirates | 90.0 1 |
| 41 | Lithuania | 99.7 1 |
| 43 | Portugal | 95.2 1 4 |
| 44 | Latvia | 99.8 1 3 |
| 45 | Argentina | 97.8 1 3 |
| 46 | Seychelles | 91.8 1 |
| 47 | Croatia | 98.8 1 3 |
| 48 | Bahrain | 91.9 1 3 |
| 49 | Bahamas | .. |
| 50 | Belarus | 99.6 1 |
| 51 | Uruguay | 98.1 1 |
| 52 | Montenegro | 98.4 1 3 |
| 53 | Palau | .. |
| 54 | Kuwait | 93.9 1 |
| 55 | Russian Federation | 99.6 1 3 |
| 56 | Romania | 97.7 1 3 |
| 57 | Saudi Arabia | 86.6 1 3 |
| 57 | Bulgaria | 98.4 1 |
| 59 | Panama | 94.1 1 |
| 59 | Cuba | 99.8 1 3 |
| 61 | Mexico | 93.1 1 |
| 62 | Costa Rica | 96.2 1 3 |
| 63 | Grenada | .. |
| 64 | Serbia | 99.3 1 3 |
| 64 | Malaysia | 93.1 1 |
| 64 | Libya | 89.2 1 4 |
| 67 | Trinidad and Tobago | 98.8 1 3 |
| 67 | Antigua and Barbuda | 99.0 1 |
| 69 | Kazakhstan | 99.7 1 3 |
| 70 | Albania | 95.9 1 |
| 71 | Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 95.5 1 |
| 72 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | .. |
| 72 | Lebanon | 89.6 1 |
| 72 | Georgia | 99.7 1 3 |
| 72 | Dominica | .. |
| 76 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 85.0 1 |
| 77 | Peru | 89.6 1 |
| 78 | Ukraine | 99.7 1 3 |
| 78 | The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia | 97.3 1 3 |
| 80 | Mauritius | 88.5 1 3 |
| 81 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 97.9 1 3 |
| 82 | Azerbaijan | 99.8 1 |
| 83 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | .. |
| 84 | Oman | 86.6 1 |
| 85 | Jamaica | 86.6 1 4 |
| 85 | Brazil | 90.3 1 |
| 87 | Armenia | 99.6 1 3 |
| 88 | Saint Lucia | .. |
| 89 | Ecuador | 91.9 1 |
| 90 | Turkey | 90.8 1 |
| 91 | Colombia | 93.4 1 |
| 92 | Sri Lanka | 91.2 1 |
| 93 | Algeria | 72.6 1 |
| 94 | Tunisia | 77.6 1 |
| 95 | Tonga | 99.0 1 |
| 96 | Samoa | 98.8 1 3 |
| 96 | Fiji | .. |
| 96 | Dominican Republic | 89.5 1 |
| 96 | Belize | .. |
| 100 | Jordan | 92.6 1 |
| 101 | China | 94.3 1 3 |
| 102 | Turkmenistan | 99.6 1 3 4 |
| 103 | Thailand | 93.5 1 |
| 104 | Maldives | 98.4 1 |
| 105 | Suriname | 94.7 1 |
| 106 | Gabon | 88.4 1 4 |
| 107 | El Salvador | 84.5 1 |
| 108 | Mongolia | 97.4 1 3 |
| 108 | Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 91.2 1 |
| 110 | Palestine, State of | 94.9 1 |
| 111 | Paraguay | 93.9 1 |
| 112 | Egypt | 72.0 1 |
| 113 | Moldova (Republic of) | 98.5 1 3 |
| 114 | Uzbekistan | 99.4 1 3 |
| 114 | Philippines | 95.4 1 |
| 116 | Syrian Arab Republic | 83.4 1 3 |
| 117 | Micronesia (Federated States of) | .. |
| 118 | Guyana | .. |
| 119 | Botswana | 84.5 1 |
| 120 | Honduras | 84.8 1 |
| 121 | South Africa | 88.7 1 |
| 121 | Kiribati | .. |
| 121 | Indonesia | 92.6 1 |
| 124 | Vanuatu | 82.6 1 |
| 125 | Tajikistan | 99.7 1 3 |
| 125 | Kyrgyzstan | 99.2 1 |
| 127 | Viet Nam | 93.2 1 |
| 128 | Namibia | 88.8 1 3 |
| 129 | Nicaragua | 78.0 1 |
| 130 | Morocco | 56.1 1 |
| 131 | Iraq | 78.2 1 3 |
| 132 | Cape Verde | 84.3 1 3 |
| 133 | Guatemala | 75.2 1 3 |
| 134 | Timor-Leste | 58.3 1 |
| 135 | Ghana | 67.3 1 3 |
| 136 | India | 62.8 1 |
| 136 | Equatorial Guinea | 93.9 1 3 |
| 138 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 72.7 1 |
| 138 | Cambodia | 77.6 1 |
| 140 | Bhutan | 52.8 1 |
| 141 | Swaziland | 87.4 1 3 |
| 142 | Congo | .. |
| 143 | Solomon Islands | .. |
| 144 | Sao Tome and Principe | 89.2 1 3 |
| 145 | Kenya | 87.4 1 3 |
| 146 | Pakistan | 54.9 1 |
| 146 | Bangladesh | 56.8 1 3 |
| 148 | Angola | 70.1 1 3 |
| 149 | Myanmar | 92.3 1 3 |
| 150 | Cameroon | 70.7 1 |
| 151 | Madagascar | 64.5 1 |
| 152 | Tanzania (United Republic of) | 73.2 1 3 |
| 153 | Nigeria | 61.3 1 3 |
| 154 | Senegal | 49.7 1 |
| 155 | Mauritania | 58.0 1 3 |
| 156 | Papua New Guinea | 60.6 1 3 |
| 157 | Nepal | 60.3 1 3 |
| 158 | Lesotho | 89.6 1 3 |
| 159 | Togo | 57.1 1 |
| 160 | Yemen | 63.9 1 |
| 161 | Uganda | 73.2 1 |
| 161 | Haiti | 48.7 1 |
| 163 | Zambia | 71.2 1 |
| 164 | Djibouti | .. |
| 165 | Gambia | 50.0 1 3 |
| 166 | Benin | 42.4 1 3 |
| 167 | Rwanda | 71.1 1 3 |
| 168 | Côte d'Ivoire | 56.2 1 3 |
| 169 | Comoros | 74.9 1 3 |
| 170 | Malawi | 74.8 1 3 |
| 171 | Sudan | 71.1 1 3 |
| 172 | Zimbabwe | 92.2 1 3 |
| 173 | Ethiopia | 39.0 1 |
| 174 | Liberia | 60.8 1 4 |
| 175 | Afghanistan | .. |
| 176 | Guinea-Bissau | 54.2 1 3 |
| 177 | Sierra Leone | 42.1 1 |
| 178 | Guinea | 41.0 1 3 |
| 178 | Burundi | 67.2 1 3 |
| 180 | Central African Republic | 56.0 1 3 |
| 181 | Eritrea | 67.8 1 3 |
| 182 | Mali | 31.1 1 |
| 183 | Burkina Faso | 28.7 1 |
| 184 | Chad | 34.5 1 3 |
| 185 | Mozambique | 56.1 1 3 |
| 186 | Niger | 28.7 1 |
| 186 | Congo (Democratic Republic of the) | 66.8 1 3 |
| .. | South Sudan | .. |
| .. | Tuvalu | .. |
| .. | Somalia | .. |
| .. | San Marino | .. |
| .. | Nauru | .. |
| .. | Monaco | .. |
| .. | Marshall Islands | .. |
| .. | Korea (Democratic People's Rep. of) | 100.0 1 |
| Footnotes | |
|---|---|
| 1. | Data refer to the most recent year available during the period specified. |
| 2. | Refers to 2011. |
| 3. | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Institute for Statistics (UIS) estimate derived from its Global Age-specific Literacy Projections Model, which is based on national data since 2000. |
| 4. | UIS estimate derived from its Global Age-specific Literacy Projections Model which is based on national data more than 10 years old from the reference year of 2010. |
| Symbols | |
|---|---|
| .. | Data not available |
| (.) | Greater (or less) than zero but small enough to be rounded off to zero at the displayed number of decimal points |
| < | Less than |
| - | Not applicable |
| T | Total |
