Adult literacy

Share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write, per the UIS; measurement years vary.

Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
Unit
aged 15+, % (UNESCO UIS)
Frequency
annual
Latest figure
2024 · 12 countries reporting

El Salvador

89.8%

2024· 10th of 12· −0.1 pp vs. previous figure

Regional comparison

Each country’s latest figure

Map of 17 countries

El Salvador

89.8%

2024 · 10th of 12 · −0.1 pp

82.1%98.9%no data

Region: adult literacy, latest per country

aged 15+, % (UNESCO UIS)

Includes only observations that pass this series’ declared semantic review.

03365.998.9UruguayUruguay98.91Uruguay: 98.91BoliviaBolivia96.73Bolivia: 96.73PanamaPanama96.23Panama: 96.23MexicoMexico95.55Mexico: 95.55ColombiaColombia95.34Colombia: 95.34ParaguayParaguay94.86Paraguay: 94.86Dominican RepublicDominican Republic94.03Dominican Republic: 94.03PeruPeru93.66Peru: 93.66EcuadorEcuador93.49Ecuador: 93.49El SalvadorEl Salvador89.77El Salvador: 89.77HondurasHonduras88.25Honduras: 88.25GuatemalaGuatemala82.11Guatemala: 82.11
12 results shown12 source records
Query scope
2 filtersIndicator key: adult_literacy_rate_pctYear: from 2018

Over time

Adult literacy since 2001

Pick the countries to compare; the chart, the CSV and the share link follow your selection.

5 of 10 series
657585951052001: 86.722007: 90.292008: 90.72009: 91.172011: 92.232012: 94.462015: 92.462020: 93.852023: 95.552024: 96.732001: 80.012007: 83.592010: 84.762011: 85.122012: 85.362013: 85.462014: 87.22015: 87.912016: 88.992018: 87.212019: 88.512022: 88.222023: 87.092024: 88.252002: 69.12012: 78.262013: 77.042014: 81.292015: 80.22018: 80.812022: 83.032023: 83.022024: 82.112006: 83.562007: 82.032008: 83.952009: 84.12010: 84.492011: 85.492012: 85.462013: 86.772014: 87.412015: 87.972016: 88.142017: 88.482018: 89.012019: 89.142020: 89.982021: 89.062022: 89.352023: 89.852024: 89.772006: 97.792007: 97.862008: 98.162009: 98.262010: 98.072011: 98.342012: 98.42013: 98.362014: 98.442015: 98.522016: 98.562017: 98.622018: 98.72019: 98.772020: 98.962022: 98.852023: 98.832024: 98.91Uruguay · 98.91Bolivia · 96.73El Salvad… · 89.77Honduras · 88.25Guatemala · 82.1120012009201420192024
70 results shown70 source records
Query scope
3 filtersIndicator key: adult_literacy_rate_pctCountry: bolivia, el_salvador, guatemala, honduras, uruguayYear: from 2001

All countries

Figure, year and recent change

Rank 1 is the highest value among countries with a recent figure. Change compares with the same country’s previous observation.

#CountryAdult literacyYearChange
1Uruguay98.9%2024+0.1 pp
2Bolivia96.7%2024+1.2 pp
3Panama96.2%2024+0.1 pp
4Mexico95.6%2024−0.3 pp
5Colombia95.3%2024−0.1 pp
6Paraguay94.9%2024+0.3 pp
7Dominican Republic94%2024−0.3 pp
8Peru93.7%2024−0.8 pp
9Ecuador93.5%2024−2.8 pp
10El Salvador89.8%2024−0.1 pp
11Honduras88.3%2024+1.2 pp
12Guatemala82.1%2024−0.9 pp

Source and citation

UNESCO: education indicators

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), via the VerDat PIDA normalized layer.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), “Adult literacy”, retrieved from VerDat PIDA (OEI) on Oct 9, 2026.

More on education