Share of Global Illiterate Population Living in Each Region (2016)

About This Dataset

This chart shows the regional distribution of the global illiterate adult population in 2016, expressed as a percentage share of the total 750 million illiterate adults worldwide.

✨ AI Insight

Southern Asia alone accounts for nearly half of all illiterate adults globally, making it the single most critical region for literacy investment. Sub-Saharan Africa follows with more than a quarter of the global illiterate population, and together these two regions represent over three-quarters of the worldwide illiteracy burden. Eastern and South-Eastern Asia and Northern Africa and Western Asia each hold approximately one-tenth of the global total. By contrast, regions such as Central Asia, Europe and Northern America, and Oceania contribute less than 2% combined - reflecting the dramatic disparity in literacy development across the world.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

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Southern Asia leads with 49 in 2016.

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Average value in 2016: 17 · median: 10.

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Gap in 2016: Southern Asia is 24.5× larger than Remaining Regions Combined.