Estimated illiteracy rate and illiterate population aged 15 years and older, by country, 1970-2015.

Illiteracy rates and the illiterate population indicate respectively the proportion and number of persons within the population who cannot with understanding both read and write a short simple statement on their everyday life. The data presented in this table are the latest illiteracy estimates and projections of UIS, as assessed in 2002 based on statistics collected during national population censuses. Estimated illiteracy rate refers to the estimated number of illiterates (15 years and over) expressed as a percentage of the population in the corresponding age group. --