Topics Education Literacy

Bangladesh is the top country by adult illiteracy in the world. As of 2019, adult illiteracy in Bangladesh was 30 million that accounts for 100.00% of the world's adult illiteracy. The top 1 countries (others are ) account for 100.00% of it. The world's total adult illiteracy was estimated at 30 million in 2019.

The description is composed by our digital data assistant.

Adult illiterate population. Total is the total number of adults over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.

Adult illiterate population (number)

1970199020002005201020112012201320142015201620182019
Rwanda1,535,8602,015,7811,985,1271,967,627
Burkina Faso5,476,2656,189,4736,390,995
India265,567,691252,863,750
Sao Tome and Principe10,0298,713
Cameroon2,716,7883,318,6863,316,943
Mali5,472,1485,444,1436,128,6656,422,140
Kazakhstan26,98428,584
Russian Federation384,481322,922
Latvia4,9241,8441,793
Belarus19,131
Malta24,85623,33520,697
El Salvador650,410617,799578,703539,212515,242
Romania236,389190,378
Samoa1,1891,094
Costa Rica139,56690,59184,024
Swaziland108,118122,95381,429
Cote d'Ivoire4,637,0027,028,9057,115,7207,690,587
Indonesia21,198,50012,533,3158,941,6608,901,2398,724,2238,526,552
China182,658,28886,449,75453,766,85637,038,398
Spain843,939894,837881,504835,310759,798750,894729,349687,340622,751
Tonga402390
Brunei Darussalam11,7739,199
Italy590,448443,621
Vanuatu22,361
Greece655,093273,482186,626
Vietnam5,401,9583,669,981
Argentina621,457333,000
Brazil16,851,57814,261,21112,947,17513,260,61513,230,66113,043,85711,167,773
Malaysia1,764,2511,399,8491,233,916
Portugal497,148342,869
Montenegro7,8035,920
Panama177,801166,973152,328139,457
Mexico6,477,2636,360,0646,174,6525,732,6865,481,7174,967,2695,313,9604,879,2005,055,6904,272,530
Singapore259,476228,785173,703164,393160,350156,078151,778149,463141,951128,380
Paraguay255,707243,292227,101293,076
Morocco7,847,8517,295,1066,884,539
Peru2,258,2901,337,7771,408,7071,323,8291,342,3741,334,124
Jordan290,480305,332175,87492,445116,173
Bahrain55,07031,811
Benin3,815,9253,809,789
Afghanistan10,372,56512,053,875
Central African Republic1,064,8941,659,1041,627,354
Nepal6,988,5396,275,174
Bangladesh55,543,83531,524,72430,392,09430,004,627
Uruguay50,38043,77642,45943,57341,89939,78435,459
Kuwait114,644132,384119,135125,431133,729129,702
Comoros95,116218,871207,248
Thailand3,497,4943,322,1851,923,3683,464,7373,978,1733,589,297
Sri Lanka1,323,1041,330,811
Mauritius151,046138,107105,87982,06185,59076,44974,82090,364
Nigeria41,763,792
Uganda4,478,5545,362,2335,322,655
Kyrgyz Republic17,656
Algeria5,484,148
Zambia1,495,9241,250,9511,266,166
Gabon177,171204,631
Namibia163,602130,873
Seychelles4,3573,064
Timor-Leste258,749251,931
Albania72,22663,71144,114
Uzbekistan211,0121,0604,1193,4941,662
Oman279,202228,801232,293161,173
West Bank and Gaza118,857115,065103,18897,04996,54592,54188,64982,717
Mongolia34,85834,54134,789
Colombia2,200,4142,240,3642,207,1242,092,8422,101,7381,874,652
Eritrea470,454
Suriname19,71226,98023,562
Honduras733,727735,981744,685759,877687,094666,306621,870837,525
Sierra Leone2,364,0792,560,844
Ghana4,620,9854,202,9653,893,564
Kenya3,002,0755,487,4525,714,459
Madagascar2,500,5503,622,4643,925,972
Lebanon249,960
Niger4,887,7467,366,2637,290,605
Sudan6,030,8449,773,917
Tajikistan19,400
Turkey7,264,9205,793,5913,942,9343,233,9182,847,3282,715,3212,665,3172,618,319
Ukraine9,941
Barbados1,078
Bhutan201,307222,941
Bolivia509,051374,415541,403
Burundi1,830,1891,399,8902,274,294
Cabo Verde68,61450,70348,518
Chad3,132,2005,404,5575,884,942
Chile444,192518,913
Congo, Dem. Rep.9,325,3519,758,035
Congo, Rep.491,233601,701
Cuba23,238
Dominican Republic709,974683,590691,849652,906597,703590,662
Ecuador736,018839,812884,631852,833736,472646,531632,533657,586
Egypt, Arab Rep.21,637,74415,694,07315,250,07614,804,370
Equatorial Guinea34,856
Ethiopia28,948,732
Grenada1,039
Guatemala2,060,3182,234,1011,880,427
Guinea4,716,4584,724,630
Guinea-Bissau427,273570,981
Guyana76,807
Iran, Islamic Rep.9,066,3099,529,2039,058,3539,112,681
Iraq3,485,57810,906,722
Lesotho148,506315,169
Malawi3,054,6203,150,7413,548,455
Maldives4,6643,606
Mauritania752,716
Nicaragua757,787
Pakistan47,295,73948,536,14950,300,66249,313,65551,955,83851,635,852
Puerto Rico265,897237,047
Qatar56,79058,90657,33645,22741,600
Saudi Arabia2,743,6711,197,791
Senegal3,552,0504,575,694
South Africa2,539,6312,496,0892,306,8262,226,1672,168,862
South Sudan4,181,233
Tanzania8,023,2495,792,3646,425,458
Togo1,275,4631,477,5111,520,764
Zimbabwe1,348,7131,004,336
Angola4,239,847
Croatia31,806
Cyprus11,862
Estonia2,6831,278
Gambia, The420,188577,712
Marshall Islands550
Moldova107,46429,506
Myanmar3,232,2219,606,942
San Marino24
St. Vincent and the Grenadines1,964
Trinidad and Tobago25,804
Tunisia1,705,8361,685,6921,658,4691,793,414
United Arab Emirates367,642
Venezuela, RB1,252,9641,087,809759,309653,548
Andorra00
Armenia6,001
Azerbaijan16,09815,87816,35315,59115,84516,14516,062
Bosnia and Herzegovina102,03960,26497,986
Bulgaria104,624
Georgia13,822
Lao PDR917,835937,8011,683,606
Lithuania4,837
Macao SAR, China20,83817,900
Palau74505
Papua New Guinea1,373,923
Philippines2,349,9433,546,8252,371,403
Serbia152,29785,496