Methodologies used for measuring literacy, 2016
The figure illustrates how literacy rates have been recorded by countries over time. Methodologies include self declarations by individuals or other householdmembers, literacy tests, and indirect estimates (e.g. by assuming literacy from educational attainment).
Interactive visualization requires JavaScript
Related research and data
Charts
- Adult literacy rate
- Data instruments used to estimate literacy
- Estimated historical literacy rates
- Female youth literacy rate
- Historical literacy in England, by sex
- Literacy by years of schooling, United States
- Literacy rate
- Literacy rate in adult men
- Literacy rate in adult women
- Literacy rate of young men and women
- Literacy rate of young men vs. womenScatterplot
- Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita
- Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling
- Literacy rates of adult males, one-sentence test (DHS) vs. self-reports (UNESCO)
- Literacy rates of older vs. younger population
- Literacy rates, adult female, one-sentence test (DHS) vs. self-reports (UNESCO)
- Literacy rates, survey estimates vs. official UNESCO estimates
- Literate and illiterate world population
- Living languages
- Male youth literacy rate
- Numeracy skills of adults young adults vs adults
- Numeracy vs. literacy skills of adults
- Share of the population with basic numeracy skills
- Students in grade 2 who can't read a single word
- UNESCO literacy rate vs. PIAAC literacy proficiency
- Youth literacy rates, adjusted gender parity index