TOP 50

Rank	Country	Literacy (%)
1	Andorra	100
2	Greenland	100
3	Korea, North	100
4	Uzbekistan	100
5	Latvia	99.9
6	Cuba	99.8
7	Estonia	99.8
8	Belarus	99.8
9	Azerbaijan	99.8
10	Kazakhstan	99.8
11	Lithuania	99.8
12	Poland	99.8
13	Tajikistan	99.8
14	Ukraine	99.8
15	Armenia	99.7
16	Russia	99.7
17	Slovenia	99.7
18	Turkmenistan	99.7
19	Barbados	99.6
20	Kyrgyzstan	99.6
21	Georgia	99.4
22	Moldova	99.4
23	Tonga	99.4
24	Croatia	99.3
25	Italy	99.2
26	Fiji	99.1
27	Hungary	99.1
28	Samoa	99.1
29	Czech Republic	99
30	Antigua and Barbuda	99
31	Argentina	99
32	Trinidad and Tobago	99
33	Cayman Islands	98.9
34	Montenegro	98.8
35	Romania	98.8
36	Uruguay	98.7
37	Grenada	98.6
38	Bosnia and Herzegovina	98.5
39	Taiwan	98.5
40	Bulgaria	98.4
41	Mongolia	98.4
42	Spain	98.4
43	Serbia	98.3
44	Marshall Islands	98.3
45	Jordan	98.2
46	Philippines	98.2
47	Albania	98.1
48	Korea, South	98
49	Costa Rica	97.9
50	Aruba	97.8

Definition: This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates are based on the most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the ability to read and write is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons. Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world.

Source: CIA World Factbook - Unless otherwise noted, information in this page is accurate as of January 1, 2020