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%	15,786,898	Africa
2	Chad	30.6%	19,340,757	Africa
3	Mali	35.5%	22,395,489	Africa
4	Niger	35.6%	26,312,034	Africa
5	Yemen	37.1%	32,684,503	Asia
6	Afghanistan	37.3%	43,844,000	Asia
7	Guinea	39.6%	14,363,931	Africa
8	Burkina Faso	41.4%	24,070,553	Africa
9	Central African Republic	42.4%	6,470,307	Africa
10	Sierra Leone	43.6%	9,077,691	Africa
11	Ivory Coast	50.0%	31,719,275	Africa
12	Senegal	50.4%	18,593,258	Africa
13	Benin	51.4%	13,224,860	Africa
14	Gambia	51.6%	2,422,712	Africa
15	Sudan	53.5%	51,662,000	Africa
16	Somalia	54.1%	19,655,000	Africa
17	Pakistan	58.9%	241,499,431	Asia
18	Liberia	59.4%	5,248,621	Africa
19	Mauritania	59.5%	4,927,532	Africa
20	Libya	60.2%	7,459,000	Africa
21	Ethiopia	60.5%	111,652,998	Africa
22	Mozambique	61.7%	34,090,466	Africa
23	Guinea-Bissau	63.9%	1,781,308	Africa
24	Morocco	64.3%	36,828,330	Africa
25	Eritrea	64.7%	3,607,000	Africa
26	Bhutan	64.9%	784,043	Asia
27	DR Congo	65.7%	112,832,000	Africa
28	Angola	66.2%	36,170,961	Africa
29	Haiti	68.0%	11,867,032	Americas
30	Nepal	68.7%	29,911,840	Asia
31	Malawi	70.2%	20,734,262	Africa
32	Nigeria	70.4%	223,800,000	Africa
33	Burundi	71.4%	12,332,788	Africa
34	Cambodia	71.9%	17,577,760	Asia
35	Timor-Leste	72.5%	1,391,221	Asia
36	Cameroon	72.5%	29,442,327	Africa
37	Togo	72.6%	8,095,498	Africa
38	Madagascar	74.7%	31,727,042	Africa
39	Algeria	75.1%	47,400,000	Africa
40	Laos	75.6%	7,647,000	Asia
41	Comoros	75.8%	919,901	Africa
42	Republic of the Congo	76.1%	6,142,180	Africa
43	Ghana	76.5%	33,742,380	Africa
44	Solomon Islands	76.6%	750,325	Oceania
45	Tanzania	78.2%	68,153,004	Africa
46	Rwanda	78.8%	14,104,969	Africa
47	Bangladesh	79.0%	169,828,911	Asia
48	Uganda	79.1%	45,905,417	Africa
49	Egypt	79.5%	107,271,260	Africa
50	Jamaica	79.9%	2,825,544	Americas
51	Botswana	81.2%	2,359,609	Africa
52	India	81.7%	1,417,492,000	Asia
53	Zambia	82.0%	19,693,423	Africa
54	Guatemala	82.1%	18,079,810	Americas
55	Kenya	82.2%	53,330,978	Africa
56	Iraq	84.1%	46,118,793	Asia
57	Guyana	85.6%	772,975	Americas
58	Tunisia	86.3%	11,972,169	Africa
59	Papua New Guinea	87.1%	11,781,559	Oceania
60	Nicaragua	87.3%	6,803,886	Americas
61	São Tomé and Príncipe	87.4%	209,607	Africa
62	Namibia	87.6%	3,022,401	Africa
63	Belize	87.9%	417,634	Americas
64	Vanuatu	88.0%	321,409	Oceania
65	Honduras	88.3%	9,892,632	Americas
66	Equatorial Guinea	88.3%	1,668,768	Africa
67	Cape Verde	88.5%	491,233	Africa
68	Gabon	88.9%	2,469,296	Africa
69	Iran	88.9%	85,961,000	Asia
70	El Salvador	89.8%	6,029,976	Americas
71	Lesotho	90.5%	2,116,427	Africa
72	Eswatini	90.8%	1,235,549	Africa
73	Tonga	91.0%	100,179	Oceania
74	Thailand	91.1%	65,859,640	Asia
75	South Africa	91.2%	63,100,945	Africa
76	Israel	91.8%	10,134,800	Asia
77	Lebanon	92.0%	5,490,000	Asia
78	Puerto Rico	92.4%	3,203,295	Americas
79	Sri Lanka	92.7%	21,763,170	Asia
80	Suriname	92.9%	616,500	Americas
81	Zimbabwe	93.2%	17,073,087	Africa
82	Malta	93.3%	574,250	Europe
83	Myanmar	93.5%	51,316,756	Asia
84	Peru	93.7%	34,350,244	Americas
85	Greece	93.9%	10,400,720	Europe
86	Seychelles	94.0%	122,729	Africa
87	Dominican Republic	94.0%	10,771,504	Americas
88	Mauritius	94.3%	1,243,741	Africa
89	Syria	94.4%	25,620,000	Asia
90	Portugal	94.5%	10,749,635	Europe
91	Brazil	94.8%	213,421,037	Americas
92	Jordan	94.8%	11,734,000	Asia
93	Paraguay	94.9%	6,109,644	Americas
94	Colombia	95.3%	53,057,212	Americas
95	Bolivia	95.5%	11,365,333	Americas
96	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	95.6%	110,872	Americas
97	Malaysia	95.8%	34,231,700	Asia
98	Marshall Islands	95.8%	42,418	Oceania
99	Mexico	95.9%	130,575,786	Americas
100	Indonesia	96.0%	284,438,782	Asia
101	Brunei	96.1%	455,500	Asia
102	Vietnam	96.1%	101,343,800	Asia
103	North Macedonia	96.1%	1,822,612	Europe
104	New Caledonia	96.1%	264,596	Oceania
105	Ecuador	96.3%	18,103,660	Americas
106	Panama	96.3%	4,064,780	Americas
107	Chile	96.4%	20,206,953	Americas
108	Kuwait	96.5%	4,881,254	Asia
109	Macau	96.5%	685,900	Asia
110	Nauru	96.6%	11,680	Oceania
111	China	96.7%	1,408,280,000	Asia
112	Aruba	96.8%	107,566	Americas
113	Trinidad and Tobago	96.9%	1,367,764	Americas
114	Bosnia and Herzegovina	97.0%	3,422,000	Europe
115	Venezuela	97.2%	28,517,000	Americas
116	Turkey	97.3%	85,664,944	Asia
117	Oman	97.3%	5,343,630	Asia
118	American Samoa	97.3%	49,710	Oceania
119	Costa Rica	97.4%	5,309,625	Americas
120	Cuba	97.7%	9,748,007	Americas
121	Singapore	97.7%	6,110,200	Asia
122	Albania	97.7%	2,363,314	Europe
123	Qatar	97.8%	3,173,024	Asia
124	Grenada	97.8%	109,021	Americas
125	Bahrain	97.8%	1,594,654	Asia
126	Saudi Arabia	97.9%	35,300,280	Asia
127	Palestine	97.9%	5,483,450	Asia
128	South Korea	98.0%	51,159,889	Asia
129	Samoa	98.0%	205,557	Oceania
130	Croatia	98.2%	3,866,233	Europe
131	Maldives	98.2%	515,132	Asia
132	Bulgaria	98.3%	6,437,360	Europe
133	Philippines	98.5%	114,123,600	Asia
134	Montenegro	98.5%	623,327	Europe
135	Kiribati	98.6%	120,740	Oceania
136	Mongolia	98.6%	3,544,835	Asia
137	Cyprus	98.7%	1,442,614	Europe
138	Poland	98.7%	37,392,000	Europe
139	United Arab Emirates	98.8%	11,294,243	Asia
140	Hungary	98.9%	9,539,502	Europe
141	Cayman Islands	98.9%	84,738	Americas
142	Uruguay	98.9%	3,499,451	Americas
143	Antigua and Barbuda	99.0%	103,603	Americas
144	Argentina	99.1%	46,735,004	Americas
145	Romania	99.2%	19,036,031	Europe
146	Kyrgyzstan	99.2%	7,281,800	Asia
147	Barbados	99.3%	267,800	Americas
148	Serbia	99.3%	6,567,783	Europe
149	Italy	99.3%	58,927,633	Europe
150	Moldova	99.4%	2,749,076	Europe
151	Guam	99.4%	153,836	Oceania
152	Ukraine	99.4%	32,862,000	Europe
153	Slovenia	99.5%	2,130,638	Europe
154	Georgia	99.7%	4,000,921	Asia
155	Spain	99.7%	49,315,949	Europe
156	Kazakhstan	99.7%	20,426,568	Asia
157	Azerbaijan	99.8%	10,241,722	Asia
158	Lithuania	99.8%	2,894,886	Europe
159	Armenia	99.8%	3,076,200	Asia
160	Belarus	99.9%	9,109,280	Europe
161	Estonia	99.9%	1,369,995	Europe
162	Turkmenistan	99.9%	7,057,841	Asia
163	Latvia	99.9%	1,829,000	Europe
164	San Marino	99.9%	34,132	Europe
165	Russia	99.9%	146,028,325	Europe
166	Uzbekistan	100.0%	37,859,698	Asia
167	North Korea	100.0%	25,950,000	Asia
168	Tajikistan	100.0%	10,499,000	Asia
169	Palau	100.0%	16,733	Oceania
170	Tuvalu	100.0%	10,643	Oceania