Editing Literacy (section)

=== Regional disparities ===
Available global data indicates significant variations in literacy rates between world regions. North America, Europe, [[West Asia]], and [[Central Asia]] have almost achieved full literacy for men and women aged 15 or older. Most countries in [[East Asia and the Pacific]], as well as [[Latin America and the Caribbean]], have adult literacy rates over 90%.<ref name="UNESCO-2015">{{Cite journal |last=UNESCO Institute for Statistics |date=September 2015 |title=Adult and Youth Literacy |url=http://www.uis.unesco.org/literacy/Documents/fs32-2015-literacy.pdf |journal=UIS Fact Sheet |volume=32 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315043900/http://www.uis.unesco.org/literacy/Documents/fs32-2015-literacy.pdf |archive-date=15 March 2016 |access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref> In other regions, illiteracy persists at higher rates; as of 2013, the adult literacy rate in [[South Asia]] and [[North Africa]] was 67.55% and 59.76% in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]].<ref name="UIS">{{Cite web |last=UIS |title=Education: Literacy rate |url=http://data.uis.unesco.org/Index.aspx?queryid=166# |access-date=22 May 2016 |website=data.uis.unesco.org}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=September 2023}}
[[File:Figure 5 Literacy has rapidly spread Reading the past writing the future.svg|left|thumb|Literacy has rapidly spread in several regions over the last twenty-five years.]]
In much of the world, high youth literacy rates suggest that illiteracy will become less common as more educated younger generations replace less educated older ones.<ref name="Wagner-2016">{{Cite book |last1=Wagner |first1=Daniel A. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k0mUCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA97 |title=Childhood and adolescence: cross-cultural perspectives and applications |last2=Tuz Zahra |first2=Fatima |last3=Lee |first3=Jinsol |year=2016 |publisher=Praeger |isbn=978-1-440-83223-9 |editor-last=Gielen |editor-first=Uwe P. |edition=2nd |pages=105–106 |chapter=Literacy Development: Global Research and Policy Perspectives |editor-last2=Roopnarine |editor-first2=Jaipaul L.}}</ref> However, in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where the vast majority of the world's illiterate youth live, lower school enrollment implies that illiteracy will persist to a greater degree.<ref name="Wagner-2016" /> According to 2013 data, the youth literacy rate (ages 15 to 24) is 84% in South Asia and North Africa and 70% in sub-Saharan Africa.<ref name="UIS" />

However, the distinction between literacy and illiteracy is not clear-cut. Given that having a literate person in the household confers many of the benefits of literacy, some recent literature in economics, starting with the work of Kaushik Basu and James Foster, distinguishes between a "proximate illiterate" and an "isolated illiterate". A "proximate illiterate" lives in a household with literate members, while an "isolated illiterate" lives in a household where everyone is illiterate. Isolated illiteracy is more common among older populations in wealthier nations, where people are less likely to live in multigenerational households with potentially literate relatives. A 2018/2019 [[UNESCO]] report noted that "conversely, in low and lower middle income countries, isolated illiteracy is concentrated among younger people," along with increased rates among rural populations and women. This evidence indicates that illiteracy is a complex phenomenon with multiple factors impacting rates of illiteracy and the type of illiteracy one may experience.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2018 |title=Global education monitoring report 2019: Migration, displacement and education: building bridges, not walls |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000366946 |access-date=2023-12-22 |website=UNESCO |pages=194–196}}</ref>

Literacy has rapidly spread in several regions in the last twenty-five years,<ref name="UNESCO-2017" /> and the United Nations's global initiative with [[Sustainable Development Goal 4]] is also gaining momentum.<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE 17 GOALS |publisher=Department of Economic and Social Affairs |url=https://sdgs.un.org/goals |access-date=2020-09-22 |website=sdgs.un.org}}</ref>