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Country Comparison :: Literacy |
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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. |
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Rank |
country |
(%)
|
Date of Information |
|
|
|
101 |
China |
95.10 |
2010 est.
|
|
123 |
Burma |
92.70 |
2011 est.
|
|
124 |
Malta |
92.40 |
2005 est.
|
|
125 |
Palau |
92.00 |
1980 est.
|
|
140 |
Libya |
89.50 |
2011 est.
|
|
142 |
Gabon |
89.00 |
2011 est.
|
|
146 |
Kenya |
87.40 |
2010 est.
|
|
155 |
Syria |
84.10 |
2011 est.
|
|
169 |
Egypt |
73.90 |
2012 est.
|
|
173 |
Sudan |
71.90 |
2011 est.
|
|
174 |
Ghana |
71.50 |
2010 est.
|
|
185 |
Yemen |
65.30 |
2011 est.
|
|
187 |
India |
62.80 |
2006 est.
|
|
196 |
Nepal |
57.40 |
2011 est.
|
|
206 |
Haiti |
48.70 |
2006 est.
|
|
208 |
Benin |
42.40 |
2010 census
|
|
215 |
Niger |
28.70 |
2005 est.
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