Illiteracy rates by world region 2022

In 2022, the illiteracy rate among adults aged 15 years and older was 32 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa. In South Asia the illiteracy rate was 26 percent. Adult illiteracy rate is defined as the percentage of the population aged 15 and older who can not read or write. Even though illiteracy continues to persist around the world, illiteracy levels have been reduced significantly over the past decades.