Literacy rate in Africa
The share of adults who can read and write, in every African country, with youth literacy and education spending beside it.
What adult literacy rate measures
Share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short simple statement.
- 26.8 to 51.4
- 51.4 to 64.7
- 64.7 to 75.1
- 75.1 to 86.3
- 86.3 to 94.3
- No figure
View the data as a table
| Period | Nigeria | Ethiopia | Egypt | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Tanzania |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Not published | Not published | 72.1 | Not published | Not published |
| 2011 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2012 | Not published | Not published | 73.9 | 75.0 | 78.1 |
| 2013 | Not published | 48.4 | 72.4 | Not published | Not published |
| 2014 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | 79.9 |
| 2015 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | 77.9 |
| 2016 | 58.2 | 47.5 | Not published | 77.0 | Not published |
| 2017 | Not published | Not published | 71.2 | Not published | Not published |
| 2018 | Not published | Not published | Not published | 73.6 | Not published |
| 2019 | Not published | 55.1 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2020 | Not published | Not published | Not published | 65.7 | 82.2 |
| 2021 | 63.2 | 54.9 | 82.1 | Not published | Not published |
| 2022 | Not published | 60.5 | 79.5 | Not published | 78.2 |
| 2023 | Not published | Not published | Not published | 68.5 | Not published |
| 2024 | 70.4 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2025 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2026 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Last checked 13 November 2026.
Showing 54 of 54
| Rank | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Algeria | North Africa | 75.1 | 2008 | 93.8 | 9.0 | 0.76 | 77.4 |
| 31 | Angola | Central Africa | 68.2 | 2023 | 80.7 | 2.5 | 0.62 | 40.7 |
| 42 | Benin | West Africa | 51.4 | 2022 | 71.3 | 3.2 | 0.52 | 34.0 |
| 14 | Botswana | Southern Africa | 81.2 | 2003 | 94.0 | 8.1 | 0.73 | 57.5 |
| 47 | Burkina Faso | West Africa | 41.6 | 2023 | 62.8 | 5.3 | 0.46 | 28.3 |
| 27 | Burundi | East Africa | 71.3 | 2020 | 88.4 | 4.5 | 0.44 | 8.6 |
| 8 | Cabo Verde | West Africa | 88.5 | 2024 | 98.3 | 4.4 | 0.67 | 74.7 |
| 24 | Cameroon | Central Africa | 72.6 | 2018 | 81.9 | 2.8 | 0.59 | 46.3 |
| 46 | Central African Republic | Central Africa | 42.4 | 2019 | 50.6 | 1.8 | 0.41 | 13.8 |
| 51 | Chad | Central Africa | 30.6 | 2019 | 45.1 | 3.2 | 0.42 | 12.6 |
| 21 | Comoros | East Africa | 75.6 | 2021 | 90.8 | 2.3 | 0.60 | 32.5 |
| 20 | Congo | Central Africa | 76.1 | 2005 | 78.6 | 3.3 | 0.65 | 47.3 |
| 44 | Côte d'Ivoire | West Africa | 50.0 | 2021 | 66.8 | 3.6 | 0.58 | 41.4 |
| 30 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Central Africa | 68.5 | 2023 | 77.9 | 2.8 | 0.52 | 19.7 |
| 53 | Djibouti | East Africa | Not published | Not published | 79.6 | 3.8 | 0.51 | 65.3 |
| 15 | Egypt | North Africa | 79.5 | 2022 | 95.2 | 3.8 | 0.75 | 74.7 |
| 9 | Equatorial Guinea | Central Africa | 88.3 | 2000 | 97.1 | Not published | 0.67 | 63.3 |
| 32 | Eritrea | East Africa | 64.7 | 2008 | 87.0 | 2.1 | 0.50 | 14.4 |
| 5 | Eswatini | Southern Africa | 90.8 | 2022 | 98.7 | 6.0 | 0.70 | 63.4 |
| 36 | Ethiopia | East Africa | 60.5 | 2022 | 84.7 | 2.3 | 0.50 | 21.9 |
| 7 | Gabon | Central Africa | 88.9 | 2021 | 94.0 | 2.3 | 0.73 | 68.7 |
| 41 | Gambia | West Africa | 51.6 | 2021 | 67.5 | 2.8 | 0.52 | 49.5 |
| 19 | Ghana | West Africa | 76.5 | 2021 | 91.5 | 2.9 | 0.63 | 72.2 |
| 48 | Guinea | West Africa | 39.6 | 2018 | 53.9 | 1.7 | 0.50 | 33.3 |
| 34 | Guinea-Bissau | West Africa | 63.9 | 2022 | 82.2 | 2.0 | 0.51 | 29.8 |
| 13 | Kenya | East Africa | 82.2 | 2000 | 93.2 | 4.0 | 0.63 | 35.0 |
| 6 | Lesotho | Southern Africa | 90.5 | 2024 | 96.5 | 6.6 | 0.55 | 51.8 |
| 38 | Liberia | West Africa | 59.4 | 2010 | 75.1 | 2.3 | 0.51 | 32.2 |
| 54 | Libya | North Africa | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | 0.72 | 82.0 |
| 23 | Madagascar | East Africa | 74.7 | 2021 | 82.4 | 3.1 | 0.49 | 18.7 |
| 29 | Malawi | East Africa | 70.2 | 2020 | 80.7 | 2.8 | 0.52 | 19.0 |
| 49 | Mali | West Africa | 35.6 | 2024 | 50.3 | 4.2 | 0.42 | 36.8 |
| 37 | Mauritania | West Africa | 59.5 | 2020 | 70.9 | 7.6 | 0.56 | 45.8 |
| 1 | Mauritius | East Africa | 94.3 | 2023 | 99.8 | 4.3 | 0.81 | 73.3 |
| 33 | Morocco | North Africa | 64.3 | 2014 | 89.1 | 6.0 | 0.71 | 91.2 |
| 35 | Mozambique | East Africa | 61.7 | 2022 | 71.4 | 6.0 | 0.49 | 20.5 |
| 10 | Namibia | Southern Africa | 87.6 | 2023 | 92.1 | 9.1 | 0.67 | 64.9 |
| 50 | Niger | West Africa | 35.6 | 2022 | 53.9 | 4.1 | 0.42 | 15.6 |
| 28 | Nigeria | West Africa | 70.4 | 2024 | 81.4 | 0.3 | 0.56 | 41.2 |
| 16 | Rwanda | East Africa | 78.8 | 2022 | 90.0 | 4.6 | 0.58 | 31.7 |
| 11 | São Tomé and Príncipe | Central Africa | 87.4 | 2019 | 95.5 | 5.0 | 0.64 | 59.1 |
| 43 | Senegal | West Africa | 50.4 | 2023 | 67.5 | 6.2 | 0.53 | 60.1 |
| 2 | Seychelles | East Africa | 94.0 | 2010 | 99.0 | 4.5 | 0.85 | 87.8 |
| 45 | Sierra Leone | West Africa | 43.6 | 2019 | 73.0 | 2.6 | 0.47 | 25.1 |
| 39 | Somalia | East Africa | 54.1 | 2022 | 70.7 | 0.0 | 0.40 | 27.9 |
| 4 | South Africa | Southern Africa | 91.2 | 2024 | 97.2 | 6.0 | 0.74 | 78.4 |
| 52 | South Sudan | East Africa | 26.8 | 2008 | 36.7 | 1.6 | 0.39 | 6.7 |
| 40 | Sudan | North Africa | 53.5 | 2008 | 65.8 | 2.0 | 0.51 | 18.6 |
| 17 | Tanzania | East Africa | 78.2 | 2022 | 87.1 | 3.2 | 0.56 | 31.2 |
| 25 | Togo | West Africa | 72.6 | 2022 | 90.4 | 4.1 | 0.57 | 39.5 |
| 12 | Tunisia | North Africa | 86.3 | 2023 | 98.2 | 6.7 | 0.75 | 76.5 |
| 18 | Uganda | East Africa | 77.0 | 2024 | 85.2 | 2.6 | 0.58 | 9.0 |
| 26 | Zambia | East Africa | 71.8 | 2024 | 77.7 | 4.1 | 0.60 | 17.1 |
| 3 | Zimbabwe | East Africa | 93.2 | 2019 | 92.5 | 0.4 | 0.60 | 41.6 |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Last checked 13 November 2026.
No published figure: Djibouti and Libya.
Related
- Nigeria by state
- Kenya by county
- Ghana by region
- South Africa by province
- Human Development Index in Africa
- Universities and exam bodies by country
- Education and health budgets
- Tech and internet access in Africa
- Compare every country on adult literacy rate and 48 other measures
- Regions of Africa: West Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Central Africa, Southern Africa
Related reading
Method and source
Share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short simple statement. We show each country's latest published year, so years differ; the table gives the year for each. Africa and regional figures are weighted by population. We do not estimate missing figures. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators.
Frequently asked questions
Which African country has the highest adult literacy rate?
Mauritius, at 94.3% in 2023. Then Seychelles (94%), Zimbabwe (93.2%), South Africa (91.2%) and Eswatini (90.8%). Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators.
Which African country has the lowest adult literacy rate?
South Sudan, at 26.8% in 2008, followed by Chad (30.6%), Niger (35.6%) and Mali (35.6%).
What is the adult literacy rate in Nigeria?
70.4% in 2024, 28th of 52 in Africa. More on Nigeria: https://pollsafrica.com/countries/nigeria#education
What is the adult literacy rate in Ethiopia?
60.5% in 2022, 36th of 52 in Africa. More on Ethiopia: https://pollsafrica.com/countries/ethiopia#education
What is the adult literacy rate in Egypt?
79.5% in 2022, 15th of 52 in Africa. More on Egypt: https://pollsafrica.com/countries/egypt#education