Countries with Lowest Literacy Rate (2026)

South Sudan has one of the lowest literacy rates at 26.8%. Low literacy is both a cause and consequence of poverty, and these nations often face challenges in economic development and access to education.

#1

South Sudan

26.8%

#2

Chad

30.6%

#3

Mali

35.5%

Countries with Lowest Literacy Rate - 170 countries ranked by Literacy Rate

Rank	Country	Literacy Rate	Population	Region
1	South Sudan	26.8%	11,943,408	Africa
2	Chad	30.6%	20,299,123	Africa
3	Mali	35.5%	24,478,595	Africa
4	Niger	35.6%	27,032,412	Africa
5	Yemen	37.1%	40,583,164	Asia
6	Afghanistan	37.3%	42,647,492	Asia
7	Guinea	39.6%	14,754,785	Africa
8	Burkina Faso	41.4%	23,548,781	Africa
9	Central African Republic	42.4%	5,330,690	Africa
10	Sierra Leone	43.6%	8,642,022	Africa
11	Ivory Coast	50.0%	31,934,230	Africa
12	Senegal	50.4%	18,501,984	Africa
13	Benin	51.4%	14,462,724	Africa
14	Gambia	51.6%	2,759,988	Africa
15	Sudan	53.5%	50,448,963	Africa
16	Somalia	54.1%	19,009,151	Africa
17	Pakistan	58.9%	251,269,164	Asia
18	Liberia	59.4%	5,612,817	Africa
19	Mauritania	59.5%	5,169,395	Africa
20	Libya	60.2%	7,381,023	Africa
21	Ethiopia	60.5%	132,059,767	Africa
22	Mozambique	61.7%	34,631,766	Africa
23	Guinea-Bissau	63.9%	2,201,352	Africa
24	Morocco	64.3%	38,081,173	Africa
25	Eritrea	64.7%	3,535,603	Africa
26	Bhutan	64.9%	791,524	Asia
27	DR Congo	65.7%	109,276,265	Africa
28	Angola	66.2%	37,885,849	Africa
29	Haiti	68.0%	11,772,557	Americas
30	Nepal	68.7%	29,651,054	Asia
31	Malawi	70.2%	21,655,286	Africa
32	Nigeria	70.4%	232,679,478	Africa
33	Burundi	71.4%	14,047,786	Africa
34	Cambodia	71.9%	17,638,801	Asia
35	Timor-Leste	72.5%	1,400,638	Asia
36	Cameroon	72.5%	29,123,744	Africa
37	Togo	72.6%	9,515,236	Africa
38	Madagascar	74.7%	31,964,956	Africa
39	Algeria	75.1%	46,814,308	Africa
40	Laos	75.6%	7,769,819	Asia
41	Comoros	75.8%	866,628	Africa
42	Republic of the Congo	76.1%	6,332,961	Africa
43	Ghana	76.5%	34,427,414	Africa
44	Solomon Islands	76.6%	819,198	Oceania
45	Tanzania	78.2%	68,560,157	Africa
46	Rwanda	78.8%	14,256,567	Africa
47	Bangladesh	79.0%	173,562,364	Asia
48	Uganda	79.1%	50,015,092	Africa
49	Egypt	79.5%	116,538,258	Africa
50	Jamaica	79.9%	2,839,175	Americas
51	Botswana	81.2%	2,521,139	Africa
52	India	81.7%	1,450,935,791	Asia
53	Zambia	82.0%	21,314,956	Africa
54	Guatemala	82.1%	18,406,359	Americas
55	Kenya	82.2%	56,432,944	Africa
56	Iraq	84.1%	46,042,015	Asia
57	Guyana	85.6%	831,087	Americas
58	Tunisia	86.3%	12,277,109	Africa
59	Papua New Guinea	87.1%	10,576,502	Oceania
60	Nicaragua	87.3%	6,916,140	Americas
61	São Tomé and Príncipe	87.4%	235,536	Africa
62	Namibia	87.6%	3,030,131	Africa
63	Belize	87.9%	417,072	Americas
64	Vanuatu	88.0%	327,777	Oceania
65	Honduras	88.3%	10,825,703	Americas
66	Equatorial Guinea	88.3%	1,892,516	Africa
67	Cape Verde	88.5%	524,877	Africa
68	Gabon	88.9%	2,538,952	Africa
69	Iran	88.9%	91,567,738	Asia
70	El Salvador	89.8%	6,338,193	Americas
71	Lesotho	90.5%	2,337,423	Africa
72	Eswatini	90.8%	1,242,822	Africa
73	Tonga	91.0%	104,175	Oceania
74	Thailand	91.1%	71,668,011	Asia
75	South Africa	91.2%	64,007,187	Africa
76	Israel	91.8%	9,974,400	Asia
77	Lebanon	92.0%	5,805,962	Asia
78	Puerto Rico	92.4%	3,203,295	Americas
79	Sri Lanka	92.7%	21,916,000	Asia
80	Suriname	92.9%	634,431	Americas
81	Zimbabwe	93.2%	16,634,373	Africa
82	Malta	93.3%	568,847	Europe
83	Myanmar	93.5%	54,500,091	Asia
84	Peru	93.7%	34,217,848	Americas
85	Greece	93.9%	10,405,134	Europe
86	Seychelles	94.0%	121,354	Africa
87	Dominican Republic	94.0%	11,427,557	Americas
88	Mauritius	94.3%	1,245,779	Africa
89	Syria	94.4%	24,672,760	Asia
90	Portugal	94.5%	10,694,681	Europe
91	Brazil	94.8%	211,998,573	Americas
92	Jordan	94.8%	11,552,876	Asia
93	Paraguay	94.9%	6,929,153	Americas
94	Colombia	95.3%	52,886,363	Americas
95	Bolivia	95.5%	12,413,315	Americas
96	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	95.6%	100,616	Americas
97	Malaysia	95.8%	35,557,673	Asia
98	Marshall Islands	95.8%	37,548	Oceania
99	Mexico	95.9%	130,861,007	Americas
100	Indonesia	96.0%	283,487,931	Asia
101	Brunei	96.1%	462,721	Asia
102	Vietnam	96.1%	100,987,686	Asia
103	North Macedonia	96.1%	1,824,359	Europe
104	New Caledonia	96.1%	292,639	Oceania
105	Ecuador	96.3%	18,135,478	Americas
106	Panama	96.3%	4,515,577	Americas
107	Chile	96.4%	19,764,771	Americas
108	Kuwait	96.5%	4,897,263	Asia
109	Macau	96.5%	687,000	Asia
110	Nauru	96.6%	11,947	Oceania
111	China	96.7%	1,408,975,000	Asia
112	Aruba	96.8%	107,995	Americas
113	Trinidad and Tobago	96.9%	1,368,333	Americas
114	Bosnia and Herzegovina	97.0%	3,164,253	Europe
115	Venezuela	97.2%	28,405,543	Americas
116	Turkey	97.3%	85,518,661	Asia
117	Oman	97.3%	5,281,538	Asia
118	American Samoa	97.3%	46,765	Oceania
119	Costa Rica	97.4%	5,129,910	Americas
120	Cuba	97.7%	10,979,783	Americas
121	Singapore	97.7%	6,036,860	Asia
122	Albania	97.7%	2,377,128	Europe
123	Qatar	97.8%	2,857,822	Asia
124	Grenada	97.8%	117,207	Americas
125	Bahrain	97.8%	1,588,670	Asia
126	Saudi Arabia	97.9%	35,300,280	Asia
127	Palestine	97.9%	5,289,152	Asia
128	South Korea	98.0%	51,751,065	Asia
129	Samoa	98.0%	218,019	Oceania
130	Croatia	98.2%	3,866,200	Europe
131	Maldives	98.2%	527,799	Asia
132	Bulgaria	98.3%	6,441,421	Europe
133	Philippines	98.5%	115,843,670	Asia
134	Montenegro	98.5%	623,525	Europe
135	Kiribati	98.6%	134,518	Oceania
136	Mongolia	98.6%	3,524,788	Asia
137	Cyprus	98.7%	1,358,282	Europe
138	Poland	98.7%	36,559,233	Europe
139	United Arab Emirates	98.8%	10,986,400	Asia
140	Hungary	98.9%	9,562,065	Europe
141	Cayman Islands	98.9%	74,457	Americas
142	Uruguay	98.9%	3,386,588	Americas
143	Antigua and Barbuda	99.0%	93,772	Americas
144	Argentina	99.1%	45,696,159	Americas
145	Romania	99.2%	19,051,804	Europe
146	Kyrgyzstan	99.2%	7,221,868	Asia
147	Barbados	99.3%	282,467	Americas
148	Serbia	99.3%	6,586,476	Europe
149	Italy	99.3%	58,952,704	Europe
150	Moldova	99.4%	2,402,306	Europe
151	Guam	99.4%	167,777	Oceania
152	Ukraine	99.4%	37,860,221	Europe
153	Slovenia	99.5%	2,127,400	Europe
154	Georgia	99.7%	3,699,557	Asia
155	Spain	99.7%	48,848,840	Europe
156	Kazakhstan	99.7%	20,592,571	Asia
157	Azerbaijan	99.8%	10,202,830	Asia
158	Lithuania	99.8%	2,888,278	Europe
159	Armenia	99.8%	3,033,500	Asia
160	Belarus	99.9%	9,132,629	Europe
161	Estonia	99.9%	1,372,341	Europe
162	Turkmenistan	99.9%	7,494,498	Asia
163	Latvia	99.9%	1,866,124	Europe
164	San Marino	99.9%	33,977	Europe
165	Russia	99.9%	143,533,851	Europe
166	Uzbekistan	100.0%	36,361,859	Asia
167	North Korea	100.0%	26,498,823	Asia
168	Tajikistan	100.0%	10,590,927	Asia
169	Palau	100.0%	17,695	Oceania
170	Tuvalu	100.0%	9,646	Oceania