Editing Literacy (section)

==By continent==
{{see also|Literacy rate by country}}
[[File:Figure 2 Most illiterate persons in South Asia and Subsaharan Africa Reading the past writing the future.svg|thumb|upright=1.6|Most illiterate people now live in southern Asia or sub-Saharan Africa.]]

===Europe===
====United Kingdom====
On average, girls do better than boys at English, yet nearly one in ten young adult women have poor reading and writing skills in the UK in the 21st century, which seriously damages their employment prospects. Many are trapped in poverty but hide their lack of reading skills due to social stigma.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coughlan |first=Sean |date=7 September 2018 |title=Kate Winslet warns of 'shame' of illiteracy |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-45435973 |website=[[BBC]]}}</ref>

=====England=====
Literacy is first documented to have occurred in the area of modern England on 24 September 54 BCE, when [[Julius Caesar]] and [[Quintus Cicero]] wrote to [[Marcus Cicero]] "from the nearest shores of Britain".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tomlin |first=R. S. O. |title=Artefacts in Roman Britain: their purpose and use |year=2011 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-86012-3 |editor-last=Allason-Jones |editor-first=Lindsay |page=133 |chapter=Writing and Communication}}</ref> Literacy was widespread under Roman rule but became very rare, limited almost entirely to churchmen, after the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire]]. In 12th and 13th century England, the ability to recite a particular passage from the Bible ([[Psalm 51]]) in Latin entitled a [[common law]] defendant to the [[benefit of clergy]] and trial before an [[ecclesiastical court]], where sentences were more lenient, instead of a secular one, where hanging was a likely sentence. Thus, literate defendants often claimed the benefit of clergy, while an illiterate person who had memorized the psalm used in the literacy test could also claim the benefit of clergy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baker |first=John R. |title=An Introduction to English Legal History |publisher=Butterworths |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-406-93053-8 |location=London}}</ref>

Despite lacking a system of free and compulsory primary schooling, England reached near universal literacy in the 19th century as a result of shared, informal learning provided by family members, fellow workers, or benevolent employers. Even with near-universal literacy, the gap between male and female rates persisted until the early 20th century. Many women in the West during the 19th century were able to read but unable to write.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lyons |first=Martyn |title=Books: A Living History |year=2011 |publisher=Getty |isbn=978-1-606-06083-4 |edition=2nd |location=Los Angeles |page=98}}</ref>

=====Wales=====
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2023}}
Formal higher education in the arts and sciences in [[Wales]], from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, was limited to the wealthy and the clergy. Following the Roman occupation and the conquest by the English, education in Wales was at a low point during the [[early modern period]]; in particular, formal education was only available in English while the majority of the population spoke only [[Welsh language|Welsh]]. The first modern grammar schools were established in Welsh towns such as [[Ruthin]], [[Brecon]], and [[Cowbridge]]. One of the first modern national education methods to use the native Welsh language was started by [[Griffith Jones (Llanddowror)|Griffith Jones]] in 1731. Jones became rector of [[Llanddowror]] in 1716 and remained there for the rest of his life. He organized and introduced a Welsh language-circulating school system, which was attractive and effective for Welsh speakers, while also teaching them English, which gave them access to broader educational sources. The circulating schools may have taught half the country's population to read. Literacy rates in Wales by the mid-18th century were one of the highest.

====Continental Europe====
[[File:Adriaen van Ostade 007.jpg|thumb|upright=0.95|Dutch schoolmaster and children, 1662]]
[[File:Russa literacy 1897.jpg|thumb|Until the beginning of 20th century, most of the population in the [[Russian Empire]] was illiterate (map of [[Russian Empire census|1897 census]] literacy data).]]

The ability to read did not necessarily mean the ability to write. The [[Swedish Church Law 1686|1686 church law]] (''kyrkolagen'') of the Kingdom of [[Sweden]] (modern Sweden, [[Finland]], [[Latvia]], and [[Estonia]]) made literacy compulsory, and by 1800, the percent of people able to read was close to 100%.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bornstein, Mark H. |title=The SAGE Encyclopedia of Lifespan Human Development |year=2018 |publisher=National Institute of Child Health & Human Development |location=Bethesda, MD |isbn=978-1-506-30765-7}}</ref> This was directly dependent on the need to read religious texts in the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran faith]] in [[Sweden]] and [[Finland]]; as a result, literacy in these countries was specifically focused on reading.<ref name="Lions-2011">{{Cite book |last=Lyons |first=Martyn |title=Books: A Living History |year=2011 |publisher=Getty |isbn=978-1-606-06083-4 |edition=2nd |location=Los Angeles |page=97}}</ref> However, as late as the 19th century, many Swedes, especially women, could not write. [[Iceland]] was an exception, as it achieved widespread literacy without formal schooling, libraries, or printed books via informal tuition by religious leaders and peasant teachers.<ref name="Lions-2011" />

Historian [[Ernest Gellner]] argues that [[Continental Europe]]an countries were far more successful in implementing educational reform because their governments were more willing to invest in the population as a whole.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gellner |first=Ernest |title=Nations and Nationalism |publisher=Cornell University Press |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-801-49263-1 |location=Ithaca, NY}}</ref> Government oversight allowed countries to standardize curriculum and secure funding through legislation, thus enabling educational programs to have a broader reach.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Houston |first=Rab |title=Literacy in early modern Europe: culture and education, 1500-1800 |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-582-36810-1 |edition=2nd}}</ref>

Although present-day concepts of literacy have much to do with the 15th-century invention of the [[movable type]] [[printing press]], it was not until the [[Industrial Revolution]] of the mid-19th century that paper and books became affordable to all classes of industrialized society. Until then, only a small percent of the population was literate, as only wealthy individuals and institutions could afford the materials. Even {{As of|2008|alt=today}}, the cost of paper and books is a barrier to universal literacy in some developing nations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Economic Issues No. 33 - Educating Children in Poor Countries |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/issues/issues33/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=www.imf.org}}</ref>

On the other hand, historian [[Harvey Graff]] argues that the introduction of [[compulsory education]] was, in part, an effort to control the type of literacy the [[working class]] had access to. According to Graff, learning was increasing outside of formal settings (e.g., schools), and this uncontrolled reading could lead to increased radicalization of the populace. In his view, mass schooling was meant to temper and control literacy, not spread it.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Graff |first=Harvey J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AAj9sM99qekC&pg=PR26 |title=The literacy myth: cultural integration and social structure in the nineteenth century |publisher=Transaction Publishers |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-887-38884-2 |page=xxvi}}</ref> Graff also says, using the example of Sweden, that mass literacy can be achieved without formal schooling or instruction in writing.

===North America===
====Canada====
{{main|Literacy in Canada}}

====Mexico====
In the last 40 years, the rate of illiteracy in [[Mexico]] has been steadily decreasing. In the 1960s, because the majority of the residents of the federal capital were illiterate, the planners of the [[Mexico City Metro]] designed a series of unique icons to identify each station in the system in addition to its formal name. The [[INEGI]]'s census data in 1970 showed a national average illiteracy rate of 25.8%, which had decreased to under 7% by the 2010 census. Mexico still has a gender educational bias—the illiteracy rate for women was 8.1% compared with 5.6% for men.<ref name="Analfabetismo">{{Cite web |title=Analfabetismo. Cuéntame de México |url=http://cuentame.inegi.org.mx/poblacion/analfabeta.aspx?tema=P |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021084934/http://cuentame.inegi.org.mx/poblacion/analfabeta.aspx?tema=P |archive-date=21 October 2014 |access-date=8 September 2014 |website=cuentame.inegi.org.mx}}</ref>

Rates differ across regions and states. The states with the highest poverty rate had greater than 15% illiteracy in 2010: 17.8% in [[Chiapas]], 16.7% in [[Guerrero]], and 16.3% in [[Oaxaca]]. In contrast, the illiteracy rates in the Federal District (now part of [[Mexico City]]) and in some northern states like [[Nuevo León]], [[Baja California]], and [[Coahuila]] were below 3% in the 2010 census (2.1%, 2.2%, 2.6%, and 2.6%, respectively).<ref name="Analfabetismo" />

====United States====
{{main|Literacy in the United States}}
{{see also|Writing education in the United States}}

===South America===
{{Expand section|date=September 2023}}

====Brazil====
In 1964, [[Paulo Freire]] was arrested and exiled for teaching peasants to read.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lownd |first=Peter |title=Freire's Life and Work |url=http://www.paulofreireinstitute.org/PF-life_and_work_by_Peter.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210202602/http://www.paulofreireinstitute.org/PF-life_and_work_by_Peter.html |archive-date=2006-12-10 |website=Paulo Freire Institute at UCLA}}</ref> However, since democracy returned to Brazil, there has been a steady increase in the percentage of literate people.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baer |first=Werner |title=The Brazilian economy: growth and development |year=2007 |publisher=L. Rienner |isbn=978-1-588-26475-6 |edition=6th |location=Boulder, CO |page=7}}</ref> Educators with the Axé project in the city of [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador, Bahía]], attempt to improve literacy rates among [[Youth in Brazil|urban youth]], especially youth living on the streets, through the use of cultural music and dances. Then, "they are encouraged to go on learning and become professional artists."<ref name="Bernhardt-2014">{{Cite journal |last1=Bernhardt |first1=Anna Caroline |last2=Yorozu |first2=Rika |last3=Medel-Añonuevo |first3=Carolyn |year=2014 |title=Literacy and life skills education for vulnerable youth: What policy makers can do |journal=International Review of Education |volume=60 |issue=2 |pages=279–299 |bibcode=2014IREdu..60..279B |doi=10.1007/s11159-014-9419-z |s2cid=143930297}}</ref>{{rp|284}}

===Africa===
The literacy rates in Africa vary significantly between countries. The registered literacy rate in Libya was 86.1% in 2004,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Libya Adult literacy rate, 1960-2019 |url=https://knoema.com//atlas/Libya/topics/Education/Literacy/Adult-literacy-rate |access-date=2020-06-01 |website=Knoema}}</ref> and UNESCO says that the literacy rate in the region of [[Equatorial Guinea]] is approximately 95%,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-11-27 |title=Equatorial Guinea |url=http://uis.unesco.org/country/GQ |access-date=2020-06-01 |website=uis.unesco.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Equatorial Guinea Adult literacy rate, 1960-2019 |url=https://knoema.com/atlas/Equatorial-Guinea/topics/Education/Literacy/Adult-literacy-rate?mode=amp |access-date=2020-06-01 |website=knoema.com}}</ref> while the literacy rate in [[South Sudan]] is approximately 27%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-11-27 |title=South Sudan |url=http://uis.unesco.org/en/country/ss |access-date=2020-06-01 |website=uis.unesco.org}}</ref>

In sub-Saharan Africa, youth from wealthier families often have more educational opportunities to become literate than poorer youth, who may need to leave school because they are needed at home to farm or care for siblings.<ref name="Bernhardt-2014" /> Additionally, the rate of literacy has not improved enough to compensate for the effects of demographic growth. As a result, the number of illiterate adults has risen by 27% over the last 20 years, reaching 169 million in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2012 |title=Information bulletin: School and teaching resources in sub-Saharan Africa |url=http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Documents/ib9-regional-education-africa-2012-en-v5.pdf |website=UNESCO}}</ref> Thus, out of the 775 million illiterate adults in the world in 2010, more than one fifth (20%) were in sub-Saharan Africa. The countries with the lowest levels of literacy in the world are also concentrated in this region, where adult literacy rates can be well below 50%.<ref name="Digital-Services-for-Education-in-Africa-2015">{{Cite web |year=2015 |title=Digital Services for Education in Africa |url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002318/231867e.pdf |website=UNESCO |page=17}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Country
! Literacy rate
|-
| [[Algeria]]
| 81.4% (2025){{citation needed|date=April 2025}} 
|-
| [[Botswana]]
| 88.5% (2025){{citation needed|date=April 2025}}
|-
| [[Burkina Faso]]
| 28.7%<ref name="National-Population-and-Housing-Census-2014" />
|-
| [[Chad]]
| 35.4%<ref name="Digital-Services-for-Education-in-Africa-2015" />
|-
| [[Djibouti]]
| 70% (est.)<ref>{{Cite book |last=DK |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pLw-ReHIgvQC |title=Compact Atlas of the World |year=2012 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-756-69859-1 |page=138}}</ref>
|-
| [[Egypt]]
| 72%<ref name="UNESCO-2013">{{Cite web |title=National adult literacy rates (15+), youth literacy rates (15-24) and elderly literacy rates (65+) |url=http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=210 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029183908/http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=210 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |access-date=6 July 2013 |publisher=UNESCO Institute for Statistics}}</ref>
|-
| [[Equatorial Guinea]]
| 94%<ref name="Digital-Services-for-Education-in-Africa-2015" />
|-
| [[Eritrea]]
| 80% (est.)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ministry of Information of Eritrea |title=Adult Education Program gaining momentum: Ministry |url=http://www.shabait.com/news/local-news/12263-adult-education-program-gaining-momentum-ministry |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120102719/http://www.shabait.com/news/local-news/12263-adult-education-program-gaining-momentum-ministry |archive-date=20 January 2013 |access-date=9 October 2013 |publisher=Shabait}}</ref>
|-
| [[Ethiopia]]
| 37% (unofficial); 63% (official) (1984)<ref name="Weninger-2011">{{Cite book |last=Weninger |first=Stefan |title=Semitic Languages: An International Handbook |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |year=2011 |location=Berlin}}</ref>
|-
| [[Guinea]]
| 41%<ref name="National-Population-and-Housing-Census-2014" />
|-
| [[Kenya]]
| 83% (2025){{citation needed|date=April 2025}}
|-
| [[Mali]]
| 33.4%<ref name="Digital-Services-for-Education-in-Africa-2015" />
|-
| [[Mauritius]]
| 89.8% (2011)<ref name="POPULATION-CENSUS-MAIN-RESULTS-2011" />
|-
| [[Niger]]
| 28.7%<ref name="Digital-Services-for-Education-in-Africa-2015" />
|-
| [[Senegal]]
| 49.7%<ref name="National-Population-and-Housing-Census-2014" />
|-
| [[Somalia]]
| Unknown<ref name="FSNAU">{{Cite web |title=Family Ties: Remittances and Livelihoods Support in Puntland and Somaliland |url=http://www.fsnau.org/downloads/Remittances-and-Livelihoods-Support-in-Puntland-and-Somaliland.pdf |access-date=8 September 2014 |publisher=FSNAU}}</ref>
|-
| [[Sierra Leone]]
| 43.3%<ref name="World-Factbook">{{Cite web |title=The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2103.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124171442/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2103.html |archive-date=24 November 2016 |access-date=3 October 2014 |website=CIA |ref=CIA}}</ref>
|-
| [[Uganda]]
| 72.2%<ref name="National-Population-and-Housing-Census-2014" />
|-
| [[Zimbabwe]]
| 86.5% (2016 est.)<ref name="National-Population-and-Housing-Census-2014" />
|}

====Algeria====
The literacy rate in [[Algeria]] is 81.4%, attributable to the fact that education is compulsory and free up to age 17.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Singh|first1=Kishore|date=Jun 29, 2015|title=Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education|url=http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=A/HRC/29/30/Add.2&Lang=E|website=ohchr.org|access-date=Apr 5, 2025}}</ref>

====Burkina Faso====
[[Burkina Faso]] has a very low literacy rate of 28.7%, defined as anyone at least 15 years of age who can read and write.<ref name="National-Population-and-Housing-Census-2014">{{Cite web |title=National Population and Housing Census 2014 |url=https://www.ubos.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/03_20182014_National_Census_Main_Report.pdf |access-date=2023-09-18}}</ref> To improve the literacy rate, the government has received at least 80 volunteer teachers. A severe lack of primary school teachers causes problems for any attempt to improve the literacy rate and school enrollment.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Volunteer teachers combat illiteracy in Burkina Faso |url=http://www.africa.undp.org/content/rba/en/home/ourwork/povertyreduction/successstories/burkina-faso-illiteracy/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510024914/https://www.africa.undp.org/content/rba/en/home/ourwork/povertyreduction/successstories/burkina-faso-illiteracy/ |archive-date=10 May 2021 |access-date=3 October 2014 |website=United Nations Development Programme |ref=UNDP}}</ref>

====Egypt====
[[Egypt]] has a relatively high literacy rate. The adult literacy rate in 2010 was estimated at 72%.<ref name="UNESCO-2013" />

====Ethiopia====
The Ethiopians are among the first literate people in the world, having written, read, and created manuscripts in the ancient [[Ge'ez language]] (an [[Amharic language]]) since the 2nd century CE.<ref name="Weninger-2011" /> All boys learned to read the [[Psalms]] around the age of 7. The national literacy campaign introduced in 1978 increased literacy rates to between 37% (unofficial) and 63% (official) by 1984.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/ethiopiacountrys00ofca |title=Ethiopia: A Country Study |publisher=Library of Congress |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-844-40739-5 |editor-last=Ofcansky |editor-first=Thomas P. |location=Washington, D. C. |chapter=Literacy |editor-last2=Berry |editor-first2=LaVerle |chapter-url=http://countrystudies.us/ethiopia/73.htm}}</ref>

====Guinea====
[[Guinea]] has a literacy rate of 41%, defined as anyone at least 15 years old who can read or write.<ref name="National-Population-and-Housing-Census-2014" /> Guinea was the first to use the Literacy, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding (LCRP) project. This project was developed to increase agriculture production, develop key skills, resolve conflict, and improve literacy and numeracy skills. The LCRP worked within refugee camps near the border of Sierra Leone; however, this project only lasted from 1999 to 2001. There are several other international projects working within the country that have similar goals.<ref name="McCaffery-2005">{{Cite journal |last=McCaffery |first=Juliet |date=Dec 2005 |title=Using transformative models of adult literacy in conflict resolution and peacebuilding processes at community level: examples from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Sudan. |journal=Compare: A Journal of Comparative Education |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=443–462 |doi=10.1080/03057920500368548 |s2cid=144494846}}</ref>

====Kenya====
The literacy rate in [[Kenya]] among people below 20 years of age is over 70%, as the first 8 years of primary school are provided tuition-free by the government. In January 2008, the government began offering a limited program of free secondary education. Literacy is much higher among the young than among the older population, with the total being about 81.54% for the country. Most of this literacy, however, is at an elementary level—not secondary or advanced.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

====Mali====
{{main|Education in Mali}}
In [[Mali]] in 2015, the adult literacy rate was 33%, one of the lowest in the world, with males having a 43.1% literacy rate and females having a 24.6% rate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Education Statistics |url=http://datatopics.worldbank.org/education/country/mali |access-date=2019-11-19 |website=datatopics.worldbank.org}}</ref> The government defines literacy as anyone at least 15 who can read or write.<ref name="National-Population-and-Housing-Census-2014" /> In recent years, the government of Mali and international organizations have taken steps to improve the literacy rate. The government recognized the slow progress and began creating ministries for basic education and literacy in their national languages in 2007; they also increased the education budget by 3%, when it was at 35% in 2007. The lack of literate adults causes the programs to be slowed—they need qualified female instructors, which is problematic as many men refuse to send female family members to be trained by male teachers.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 April 2008 |title=Mali: Still a long way to go to meet adult literacy targets |work=IRIN |url=http://www.irinnews.org/report/77803/mali-still-a-long-way-to-go-to-meet--liteadultracy-targets |access-date=3 October 2014 |ref=IRIN}}</ref>

====Mauritius====
The adult [[literacy rate]] in [[Mauritius]] was estimated at 89.8% in 2011.<ref name="POPULATION-CENSUS-MAIN-RESULTS-2011" /> Male literacy was 92.3%, and female literacy was 87.3%.<ref name="POPULATION-CENSUS-MAIN-RESULTS-2011">{{Cite journal |year=2011 |title=2011 POPULATION CENSUS MAIN RESULTS |url=http://www.govmu.org/portal/goc/cso/ei977/pop2011.pdf |journal=Economic and Social Indicators |publisher=[[Statistics Mauritius]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223170840/http://www.govmu.org/portal/goc/cso/ei977/pop2011.pdf |archive-date=23 December 2014 |access-date=22 January 2015}}</ref>

====Niger====
[[Niger]] has an extremely low literacy rate of 28.7%, in part due to the gender gap—men have a literacy rate of 42.9%, while for women it is only 15.1%. The [[Nigerien government]] defines literacy as anyone who can read or write over the age of 15.<ref name="National-Population-and-Housing-Census-2014" /> The Niass [[Tijāniyyah]], a [[Sufism|Sufi]] order, has started anti-poverty, empowerment, and literacy campaigns. The women in [[Kiota]] had not attempted to improve their education or economic standing until Saida Oumul Khadiri Niass, known as Maman and married to a leader of the Niass Tijaniyya, talked to men and women throughout the community, changing the community's beliefs on appropriate behavior for women. Maman's efforts have allowed women in Kiota to own small businesses, sell in the market, attend literacy classes, and organize small associations that can give microloans. Maman personally teaches children in and around Kiota, with special attention to girls. Maman has her students require instructor permission to allow the girls' parents to marry their daughters early, increasing the amount of education these girls receive as well as delaying marriage, pregnancy, and having children.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Barnes |first=Shailly |year=2009 |title=RELIGION SOCIAL CAPITAL AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE SAHEL: THE NIASS TIJANIYYA IN NIGER |url=http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/39764466 |journal=Journal of International Affairs |volume=62 |issue=2 |pages=209–221 |access-date=8 November 2014}}</ref>

====Senegal====
[[Senegal]] has a literacy rate of 49.7%, defined as anyone who is at least 15 and can read and write.<ref name="National-Population-and-Housing-Census-2014" /> However, many students do not attend school long enough to be considered literate. The government did not begin actively attempting to improve the literacy rate until 1971, when it gave the responsibility to the Department for Vocational Training at the Secretariat for Youth and Sports. This department, and those that followed, had no clear policy on literacy until the Department of Literacy and Basic Education was formed in 1986. The government of Senegal relies heavily on funding from the [[World Bank]] to fund its school system.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nordtveit |first=Bjorn |date=May 2008 |title=Producing Literacy and Civil Society: The Case of Senegal |url=http://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1034&context=cie_faculty_pubs |journal=Comparative Education Review |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=175–198 |doi=10.1086/528761 |s2cid=54071719 |hdl=10722/57348 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>

====Somalia====
There is no reliable data on the nationwide literacy rate in [[Somalia]]. A 2013 FSNAU survey indicates considerable differences per region, with the autonomous northeastern [[Puntland]] region having the highest registered literacy rate at 72%.<ref name="FSNAU" />{{Failed verification|date=September 2023}}

====Sierra Leone====
The [[Sierra Leone]] government defines literacy as anyone over the age of 15 who can read and write in [[English language|English]], [[Mende language|Mende]], [[Temne language|Temne]], or [[Arabic]]. Official statistics put the literacy rate at 43.3%.<ref name="World-Factbook" /> Sierra Leone was the second country to use the Literacy, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding project. However, fighting near the city where the project was centered caused a delay until an arms amnesty was in place.<ref name="McCaffery-2005" />

===Asia===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Country
! Adult literacy rate
! Youth literacy rate<br />(15–24)
|-
| [[Afghanistan]]
| 43% (2020)<ref name="Literacy-rate-in-Afghanistan">{{Cite web |date=2020-03-17 |title=Interview: "Literacy rate in Afghanistan increased to 43 per cent", UNESCO |url=https://uil.unesco.org/interview-literacy-rate-afghanistan-increased-43-cent |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205135342/https://uil.unesco.org/interview-literacy-rate-afghanistan-increased-43-cent |archive-date=5 December 2021 |access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref>
| 65% (2020)<ref name="Literacy-rate-in-Afghanistan" />
|-
| [[Bangladesh]]
| 72.76% (2016)<ref name="dhakatribune">{{Cite web |date=21 March 2018 |title=Unesco: Bangladesh literacy rate reaches all-time high of 72.76% in 2016 |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/education/2018/03/21/unesco-bangladesh-literacy-rate-reaches-time-high-72-76-2016/ |website=dhakatribune.com}}</ref>
| 92.24% (2016)<ref name="dhakatribune" />
|-
| [[China]]
| colspan=2 | 96.7% (2015)<ref name="World-Factbook-China">{{Cite web |title=The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/china/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220073104/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/china/ |archive-date=20 December 2021 |access-date=28 September 2009}}</ref>
|-
| [[India]]
| 74.04% (2011)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census of India |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/indiaatglance.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423075526/https://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/indiaatglance.html |archive-date=2022-04-23}}</ref>
| 89.6% (2015)<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNESCO Institute for Statistics |url=http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Pages/country-profile.aspx?code=IND&regioncode=40535 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018002158/http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Pages/country-profile.aspx?code=IND&regioncode=40535 |archive-date=18 October 2015 |access-date=17 September 2015 |publisher=Stats.uis.unesco.org}}</ref>
|-
| [[Iran]]
| colspan=2 | Unclear
|-
| [[Laos]]
| colspan=2 | Unclear
|-
| [[Nepal]]
| 67.5% (2007)
| 89.9% (2015)<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNESCO Institute for Statistics |url=http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Pages/country-profile.aspx?code=NPL&regioncode=40535 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117061256/http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Pages/country-profile.aspx?code=NPL&regioncode=40535 |archive-date=17 January 2016 |access-date=17 September 2015 |publisher=Stats.uis.unesco.org}}</ref>
|-
| [[Pakistan]]
| 58% (2017)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reporter |first=A |date=27 April 2018 |title=No improvement in literacy rate |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1404082/no-improvement-in-literacy-rate |website=dawn.com}}</ref>
| 75.6% (2015)<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNESCO Institute for Statistics |url=http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Pages/country-profile.aspx?code=PAK&regioncode=40535 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225050612/http://uis.unesco.org/ |archive-date=25 December 2018 |access-date=17 September 2015 |publisher=Stats.uis.unesco.org}}</ref>
|-
| [[Philippines]]
| colspan=2 | 91.6% (2019)<ref name="Functional-Literacy-Rate-Philippine-Statistics-Authority">{{Cite web |title=Functional Literacy Rate is Estimated at 91.6 Percent in 2019 |publisher=Philippine Statistics Authority |url=https://psa.gov.ph/content/functional-literacy-rate-estimated-916-percent-2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214075333/https://psa.gov.ph/content/functional-literacy-rate-estimated-916-percent-2019 |archive-date=14 December 2020}}</ref>
|-
| [[Sri Lanka]]
| 92.63% (2015)<ref name="Ministry-of-Finance-Sri-Lanka-2011">{{Cite web |year=2011 |title=Annual Report 2010 |url=http://www.treasury.gov.lk/reports/annualreport/AnnualReport2010-eng.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201012336/http://www.treasury.gov.lk/reports/annualreport/AnnualReport2010-eng.pdf |archive-date=1 December 2011 |access-date=15 July 2014 |publisher=Ministry of Finance – Sri Lanka}}</ref>
| 98% (2015)<ref name="indexmundicom">{{Cite web |title=Sri Lanka literacy rate |url=http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/sri-lanka/literacy-rate |publisher=indexmundi.com}}</ref>
|}

====Afghanistan====
[[File:Schoolgirls in Bamozai.JPG|thumb|Young school girls in [[Paktia Province]] of Afghanistan]] According to [[UNESCO]], [[Afghanistan]] has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world. As of 2020, over 10 million youth and adults are illiterate. However, since 2016, the country has made significant progress. While in 2016–2017 the literacy rate was 34.8%, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics recently confirmed that it has increased to 43%. "That is a remarkable 8 percent increase." In addition, the literacy rate for youths aged 15–24 has substantially increased and now stands at 65%.<ref name="Literacy-rate-in-Afghanistan" />

However, there are still a large number of people who lack literacy and opportunities to access continuing education. There is also a substantial gender gap: the literacy rate for men stands at 55%, while for women it is only 29.8%. The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning has provided technical support to the government of Afghanistan since 2012, with the aim of improving the literacy skills of an estimated 1.2 million people.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-17 |title=Interview: "Literacy rate in Afghanistan increased to 43 per cent" |url=https://uil.unesco.org/interview-literacy-rate-afghanistan-increased-43-cent |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=uil.unesco.org |archive-date=5 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205135342/https://uil.unesco.org/interview-literacy-rate-afghanistan-increased-43-cent |url-status=dead }}</ref>

To improve the literacy rate, the US military taught Afghan Army recruits how to read before teaching them how to fire a weapon. In 2009, US commanders estimated that as many as 65% of recruits may be illiterate.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Baron |first=Kevin |date=2009-12-10 |title=United States Training Plan for Afghanistan: Read First, Shoot Later |work=STARS AND STRIPES |url=https://www.stripes.com/news/u-s-training-plan-read-first-shoot-later-1.97205}}</ref>

====China====
{{main|Education in the People's Republic of China}}
The Chinese government conducts standardized testing to assess proficiency in [[Standard Chinese]], known as ''Putonghua'', but this is primarily for foreigners or those needing to demonstrate professional proficiency in the [[Beijing]] dialect. While literacy in Chinese can be assessed by reading comprehension tests, just as in other languages, historically, literacy has often been judged by the number of Chinese characters introduced during the speaker's schooling, with a few thousand considered the minimum for practical literacy.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

The CIA World Factbook says 96.7% of Chinese people are literate;<ref name="World-Factbook-China" /> however, social science surveys in China have repeatedly found that just over half the population of China is conversant in spoken ''Putonghua''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 March 2007 |title=More than half of Chinese can speak mandarin |work=China View |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-03/07/content_5812838.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315211818/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-03/07/content_5812838.htm |archive-date=15 March 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=6 September 2013 |title=Beijing says 400 million Chinese cannot speak Mandarin |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-23975037}}</ref> In classical Chinese civilization, access to literacy for all classes originated with [[Confucianism]], where previously literacy was generally limited to the aristocracy, merchants, and priests.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

====India====
{{main|Literacy in India}}
Literacy is defined by the [[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]] as the ability of "a person aged 7 years and above to both write and read with understanding in any language." According to the [[Census of India, 2011|2011 census]], the literacy rate stood at 74%.<ref>{{Cite book |title=2011 Census of India |publisher=Government of India |year=2011 |chapter=State of Literacy of Rural Urban Population}}</ref>

====Iran====
In 2023, the Iranian government stopped a literacy campaign that had begun in 1930, despite 9 million people still being reported as illiterate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The literacy movement is facing a shortage of human resources |script-title=fa:نهضت سوادآموزی با کمبود نیروی انسانی مواجه است |url=https://www.irna.ir/amp/85210851/}}</ref> The government reported that elementary school education cost 5–40 million toman (approximately US$12–95 or €11–89) per child per year,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The condition of receiving more than the approved tuition fees in non-government schools was announced |script-title=fa:شرط دریافت مبالغی بیش از شهریه مصوب در مدارس غیردولتی اعلام شد |url=https://www.eghtesadonline.com/n/3hq8 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829100558/https://www.eghtesadonline.com/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%88%D9%85%DB%8C-30/733012-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%B7-%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%BA%DB%8C-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%87-%D9%85%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%A8-%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B3-%D8%BA%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%AA%DB%8C |archive-date=2023-08-29 |access-date=2023-09-19}}</ref> and 27% of children did not sign up for first grade because of the cost.<ref>{{Cite web |title=27% of first graders have not registered |script-title=fa:۲۷ درصد کلاس اولی‌ها ثبت نام نکرده‌اند |url=https://ettelaat.com/0003aP |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230919042524/https://ettelaat.com/fa/news/13789/%DB%B2%DB%B7-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%AF-%DA%A9%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%AB%D8%A8%D8%AA-%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%86%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF |archive-date=2023-09-19 |access-date=2023-09-19}}</ref>

====Laos====
[[File:Lao schoolgirls reading books.jpg|thumb|right|Three [[Lao people|Laotian]] girls sit outside their school reading.]]

[[Laos]] has the lowest level of adult literacy in all of [[Southeast Asia]], other than [[East Timor]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Adult literacy rate (both sexes) (% aged 15 and above) |url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/6.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513165357/http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/6.html |archive-date=13 May 2011 |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=International human development indicators}}</ref>

Obstacles to literacy vary by country and culture, as writing systems, quality of education, availability of written material, competition from other sources (television, video games, cell phones, and family obligations), and culture all influence literacy levels. In Laos, which has a [[Phonetic transcription|phonetic]] alphabet, reading is relatively easy to learn—especially compared to [[English language|English]], where spelling and pronunciation rules are filled with exceptions, and [[Chinese language|Chinese]], with thousands of symbols to be memorized. However, a lack of books and other written materials has hindered functional literacy in Laos.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Daniel G. Dorner |first=G. E. Gorman |title=Contextual factors affecting learning in Laos and the implications for information literacy education |url=https://informationr.net/ir/16-2/paper479.html |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=informationr.net |language=en}}</ref> Many children and adults read so haltingly that the skill is hardly beneficial.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

A literacy project in Laos addresses this by using what it calls "books that make literacy fun!" The project, [[Big Brother Mouse]], publishes colorful, easy-to-read books, then delivers them during book parties at rural schools. Some of the books are modeled on successful western books by authors such as [[Dr. Seuss]]; the most popular, however, are traditional Laotian fairy tales. Two popular collections of folktales were written by Siphone Vouthisakdee, who comes from a village where only five children finished primary school.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Krausz |first=Tibor |date=21 February 2011 |title=Publishing Children's Books and Delivering Them by Elephant |work=Christian Science Monitor |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/2011/0221/Publishing-children-s-books-and-delivering-them-by-elephant |access-date=25 December 2013}}</ref>

Big Brother Mouse has also created village reading rooms and published books for adult readers about subjects such as Buddhism, health, and baby care.<ref>{{Citation |last=Wells |first=Bonnie |title=Picturing Laos |date=27 August 2010 |publisher=Amherst Bulletin}}</ref>

====Pakistan====
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2023}}
In [[Pakistan]], the [[National Commission for Human Development]] aims to bring literacy to adults, especially women. While speaking at a function held in connection with [[International Literacy Day]], Islamabad Director Kozue Kay Nagata said:

{{blockquote|Illiteracy in Pakistan has fallen over two decades, thanks to the government and people of Pakistan for their efforts working toward meeting the [[Millennium Development Goals]]. Today, 70 percent of Pakistani youths can read and write. In 20 years, illiterate population has been reduced significantly.}}

She also emphasized the need to do more to improve literacy in the country, saying:
{{blockquote|The proportion of population in Pakistan lacking basic reading and writing is too high. This is a serious obstacle for individual fulfillment, to the development of societies, and to mutual understanding between peoples.}}

Referring to the recent national survey carried out by the Ministry of Education, Trainings and Standards in Higher Education with the support of UNESCO, [[UNICEF]], and provincial and area departments of education, Nagata pointed out that in Pakistan, although 70% of children finish primary school, a gender gap still exists as 68% of girls finish compared to 71% of boys.

Referring specifically to [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], she said that while the primary school completion rate is higher at 76%, there is a gender gap of 8 percentage points: 72% of girls compared to 80% for boys. She also noted that the average cost per primary school student (ages five–nine) was higher in Punjab at Rs 6,998 (approximately US$24 or €22.5).

In [[Balochistan, Pakistan|Balochistan]], although almost the same amount (Rs 6,985) is spent per child as in Punjab, the primary school completion rate is only 53%: 54% for girls and 52% for boys.

The Literate Pakistan Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 2003, is a case study bringing to light solutions for improving literacy rates in Pakistan. Their data shows that in [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]], the primary school completion rate is 67%, which is lower than the national average of 70%. Furthermore, a gender gap exists, with only 65% of girls completing primary school compared to 68% of boys. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the education expenditure per student at the primary school level (age five–nine) is Rs 8,638 ($30, €28).

In [[Sindh]], the primary school completion rate is 63%, with a gender gap of 67% of girls completing primary school compared to 60% of boys.{{Clarify|date=September 2023|reason=Are these rates reversed?}} In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the education expenditure per student at the primary school level (age five–nine) is Rs 5,019 ($17.50, €16.50).

Nagata, referencing the report, said that the most common reason for children ages 10–18 (both boys and girls) leaving school is "the child [is] not willing to go to school", which may be related to quality and learning outcome. She added that the second-highest reason for girls living in rural communities dropping out is that their "parents did not allow" them to continue school, which might be related to prejudice and cultural norms surrounding girls.

====Philippines====
{{main|Baybayin}}
About 91.6% of Filipinos ages 10–64 were functionally literate in 2019, according to the results of the 2019 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey; this translates to around 73.0 million out of the population of 79.7 million.<ref name="Functional-Literacy-Rate-Philippine-Statistics-Authority" />
Starting in 300 BCE, early Filipinos devised and used their own writing system derived from the Brahmic family of scripts of [[ancient India]]. [[Baybayin]] became the most widespread of these derived scripts by the 11th century. Early chroniclers, who came during the first Spanish expeditions to the islands, noted the proficiency of some of the natives, especially the chieftain and local kings, in [[Sanskrit]], [[Old Javanese]], [[Old Malay]], and several other languages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Viasat vs HughesNet Satellite Internet |url=http://bibingka.com/dahon/lci/lci.htm}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2003 |title=Over the edge of the world: Magellan's terrifying circumnavigation of the globe |url=https://archive.org/details/overedgeofworl00berg}}</ref>

During the Spanish colonization of the islands, reading materials were destroyed far less than during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Education and literacy were introduced solely to the [[Peninsulares]] and remained a privilege until the arrival of Americans, who introduced a public school system to the country, and English became the ''lingua franca'' in the Philippines. During the brief [[Japanese occupation of the Philippines]], the Japanese were able to teach their language and teach the children their written language.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

====Sri Lanka====
{{main|Education in Sri Lanka}}
[[File:Sarachchandra Theatre.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Peradeniya]]'s [[Sarachchandra open-air theatre]], named in memory of [[Ediriweera Sarachchandra]], Sri Lanka's premier playwright]]
With a [[literacy rate]] of 92.5%,<ref name="Ministry-of-Finance-Sri-Lanka-2011" /> Sri Lanka has one of the most literate [[populations]] among [[developing country|developing nations]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gunawardena |first=Chandra |year=1997 |title=Problems of Illiteracy in a Literate Developing Society: Sri Lanka |journal=International Review of Education |volume=43 |issue=5/6 |pages=595–609 |bibcode=1997IREdu..43..595G |doi=10.1023/A:1003010726149 |jstor=3445068 |s2cid=142788627}}</ref> Its youth literacy rate stands at 98%,<ref name="indexmundicom" /> its computer literacy rate at 35%,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Govt targets 75% computer literacy rate by 2016 |url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2011/07/29/cdnstory.asp?sid=20110705_01 |website=The Daily News}}</ref> and its primary school enrollment rate at over 99%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sri Lanka – Statistics |url=http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/sri_lanka_statistics.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830142313/https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/sri_lanka_statistics.html |archive-date=30 August 2018 |access-date=2 August 2017 |publisher=[[UNICEF]]}}</ref> An education system that dictates nine years of [[Compulsory education|compulsory schooling]] for every child is in place. The [[free education|free education system]], established in 1945,<ref>{{Cite book |last=De Silva |first= K. M. |title=A Short History of Sri Lanka |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |year=1981 |isbn=978-0-520-04320-6 |location=Los Angeles |page=472}}</ref> is a result of the initiative of [[C. W. W. Kannangara]] and A. Ratnayake.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Honouring the Father of Free Education |url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2009/06/08/fea26.asp |website=The Daily News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Who was "Father" of free education in Sri Lanka?: C.W.W. Kannangara or A. Ratnayake? |url=http://transcurrents.com/tc/2009/10/who_was_father_of_free_educati.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065821/http://transcurrents.com/tc/2009/10/who_was_father_of_free_educati.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=21 November 2012 |publisher=Trans Currents |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Sri Lanka is one of the few countries in the world that provides universal free education from the primary to the tertiary stage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Education: Traditional and Colonial Systems |url=http://countrystudies.us/sri-lanka/46.htm |publisher=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]]}}</ref>

===Oceania===
====Australia====
A 2016–2017 survey of adult skills conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on behalf of the OECD found that one in five adults of working age has low literacy skills, numeracy skills, or both.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Building skills for all in Australia: policy insights from the Survey of Adult Skills |year=2017 |publisher=OECD |isbn=978-9-264-28111-0|location=Paris}}</ref> The [[Australian Early Development Census]] National Report for 2021 reported that 82.6% of five-year-olds are on track to develop good language and cognitive skills.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2021 AEDC National Report |url=https://www.aedc.gov.au/resources/detail/2021-aedc-national-report |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=www.aedc.gov.au}}</ref>  In 2012–2013, Australia had 1515 public library service points, lending almost 174 million items to 10 million members at an average per capita cost of just under AU$45.<ref name="Said-2023">{{Cite web |last=Said |first=Aimee |date=2023-03-17 |title=Annual Australian public libraries statistics |url=https://www.nsla.org.au/resources/public-libraries-statistics/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=National and State Libraries Australasia }}</ref> By 2020–2021, this had increased to a total of 1690 library outlets with just over 9 million registered or active members.<ref name="Said-2023" />