Illiteracy isn’t just an adult problem—it starts when children struggle with foundational reading skills and can follow them through school and beyond. Progress is uneven, with crisis and conflict slowing literacy gains, and out-of-school exclusion increasing risks in low- and middle-income, fragile, and refugee settings. This page connects these patterns to livelihoods, health, and everyday access—then points to global targets and evidence-based approaches to speed up progress.
Key Takeaways
- UNESCO estimates that literacy progress will likely miss global targets without acceleration, with large absolute numbers of illiterate adults remaining (UNESCO/UIS)
- UNESCO’s GEM report highlights that progress in literacy is uneven and slows where crisis and conflict persist (UNESCO GEM report)
- In low- and middle-income countries, Learning Poverty increased attention by quantifying that 70% of 10-year-olds cannot read; this is measured via standardized learning assessments (World Bank)
- At least 250 million children are currently out of school globally, increasing risk of later illiteracy and low foundational reading skills (UNICEF/UNESCO education estimates)
- Refugees face significantly reduced access to education and learning; UNHCR reports that 61% of refugee youth (15–24) were not in education, training, or employment (UNHCR)
- In many low-income countries, literacy rates for adults remain under 70%, with the largest gaps in women and rural populations (UNDP/HDR education indicators)
- UNESCO links adult literacy to reduced poverty and improved economic opportunities through better employability and civic participation (UNESCO GMR)
- The World Bank reports that schooling and literacy are strongly linked to productivity; improved learning outcomes can increase lifetime earnings by a sizable share (World Bank education learning/reform analysis)
- Low literacy affects access to financial services: literacy barriers reduce ability to use financial products, with the OECD noting significant impacts on financial inclusion (OECD)
- UNESCO’s Global Action Plan for literacy includes a target to halve the number of illiterate people by 2025 relative to 2015 levels (UNESCO framework)
- The Sustainable Development Goal 4.6 targets universal literacy and numeracy by 2030 (UN SDG official text)
- The Global Education Monitoring Report 2023/4 includes policy guidance on accelerating progress in foundational skills and literacy (UNESCO GMR)
- Low literacy is strongly associated with rural residence: rural populations have lower literacy proficiency than urban populations in many national assessments (UNESCO UIS/field syntheses compiled in World Literacy Foundation).
- Adults with low education attainment are far more likely to have low literacy skills: 65% of adults with no more than lower secondary education are low literacy in PIAAC participants (OECD/PIAAC evidence).
- In OECD PIAAC data, 47% of adults with a migration background are low performers in literacy in participating countries (OECD/PIAAC evidence).
Millions still struggle to read, with progress uneven and accelerated action needed to reach universal literacy.
Related reading
01 · Category
Measurement & Trends12 stats
01
UNESCO estimates that literacy progress will likely miss global targets without acceleration, with large absolute numbers of illiterate adults remaining (UNESCO/UIS)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373698
02
UNESCO’s GEM report highlights that progress in literacy is uneven and slows where crisis and conflict persist (UNESCO GEM report)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000380135
03
In low- and middle-income countries, Learning Poverty increased attention by quantifying that 70% of 10-year-olds cannot read; this is measured via standardized learning assessments (World Bank)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/education/brief/learning-poverty
04
In 2021, UNESCO reported that about 53% of children could not read by age 10 in a global assessment, highlighting persistent reading deficits (UNESCO)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373892
05
In PISA 2018, 2.5% of students in participating countries were top performers in reading, while about 23% were low performers (OECD, PISA 2018 results for reading)https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2018-results-volume-1-5f91bf6b-en.htm
06
U.S. NAAL reports that about 15% of adults have literacy levels that indicate they may struggle with everyday text; this corresponds to below-basic levels (NCES NAAL)https://nces.ed.gov/naal/
07
In Egypt, CAPMAS reports literacy rate improvements, with adult literacy reported at 75.4% (CAPMAS)https://www.capmas.gov.eg/Pages/StaticPages/BuildingBaskets.aspx
08
In the EU, about 1 in 4 adults have low literacy skills according to OECD’s Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) (OECD)https://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/Skills%20survey%20of%20Adult%20Skills%20%28PIAAC%29%20-%20Factsheet%20on%20adult%20literacy.pdf
09
OECD estimates that adults with low literacy skills are more likely to have poorer employment outcomes; PIAAC reports around 25% low literacy in many countries (OECD PIAAC synthesis)https://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/PIAAC%20Insights%20Literacy.pdf
10
UNICEF/WHO report that 53 million children are out of school in conflict-affected countries, impacting literacy development (UNICEF/education data)https://www.unicef.org/media/10421/file/children-of-school-age-out-of-school.pdf
11
In South Africa, the General Household Survey reported illiteracy rates decreasing, with 2022/23 showing a specific illiteracy share among adults (Stats SA)https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0302/P03022022.pdf
12
A 2020 UNESCO report estimates that 771 million youth and adults lack basic skills; this includes literacy gaps (UNESCO)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373766
Interpretation
Measurement & Trends Interpretation
Measurement trends in global and national assessments show that illiteracy remains widespread, with about 70% of 10-year-olds in low and middle income countries facing learning poverty and roughly 53% of children failing to read by age 10 in 2021 UNESCO reporting, underscoring that literacy progress is both large in scale and difficult to speed up where it is most needed.
02 · Category
Socioeconomic Impact6 stats
01
UNESCO links adult literacy to reduced poverty and improved economic opportunities through better employability and civic participation (UNESCO GMR)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373689
02
The World Bank reports that schooling and literacy are strongly linked to productivity; improved learning outcomes can increase lifetime earnings by a sizable share (World Bank education learning/reform analysis)https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099094510042515105/learning-poverty-and-the-economics-of-education
03
Low literacy affects access to financial services: literacy barriers reduce ability to use financial products, with the OECD noting significant impacts on financial inclusion (OECD)https://www.oecd.org/financial/education/financial-education-and-adult-illiteracy.pdf
04
The Lancet Public Health (peer-reviewed) reports that educational attainment and literacy are associated with health outcomes including mortality and chronic disease (peer-reviewed evidence)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)32190-5/fulltext
05
A paper in 'Economics of Education Review' finds that literacy skills are significant predictors of earnings and employability (peer-reviewed study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775719301696
06
Adult basic education and literacy programs can improve labor-market outcomes; a meta-analysis shows positive effects on earnings and employment for adult learners (peer-reviewed meta-analysis)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02615220000200016
Interpretation
Socioeconomic Impact Interpretation
Across major research, stronger adult literacy consistently shows socioeconomic benefits, from UNESCO’s link to reduced poverty and better opportunities to studies reporting improved productivity, health outcomes, and even higher earnings, with meta-analyses of adult basic education finding positive effects on both earnings and employment.
03 · Category
Interventions & Policy5 stats
01
UNESCO’s Global Action Plan for literacy includes a target to halve the number of illiterate people by 2025 relative to 2015 levels (UNESCO framework)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000369586
02
The Sustainable Development Goal 4.6 targets universal literacy and numeracy by 2030 (UN SDG official text)https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal4
03
The Global Education Monitoring Report 2023/4 includes policy guidance on accelerating progress in foundational skills and literacy (UNESCO GMR)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000386283
04
The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) supports education plans; GPE reports committing billions annually to education systems in partner countries including literacy priorities (GPE annual report)https://www.globalpartnership.org/sites/default/files/document/file/2023-gpe-annual-report.pdf
05
UNICEF reports that learning recovery initiatives reached millions of children post-COVID-19, including early reading programs (UNICEF)https://www.unicef.org/education/documents/learning-recovery-2022
Interpretation
Interventions & Policy Interpretation
Under the Interventions & Policy angle, global targets and funding are pushing literacy forward with a clear milestone of halving the number of illiterate people by 2025 versus 2015 levels and achieving universal literacy and numeracy by 2030, reinforced by UNESCO and UNICEF’s recent policy and learning recovery efforts.
More related reading
04 · Category
Foundational Skills4 stats
01
36% of students who participated in PISA 2022 are below the baseline proficiency level in reading (OECD PISA 2022 results: reading).https://www.oecd.org/education/pisa-2022-results-volume-i-9789265544627-en.htm
02
In PISA 2018, 2.5% of students are top performers in reading across participating countries (OECD PISA 2018 reading results).https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/9789264280173-en.pdf?expires=1765555200&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=5A4E1F4C8BB4E1E2B2E4C9C9D9F0E9F5
03
In PISA 2022, 31% of students are below baseline proficiency in reading in the OECD average reported in OECD’s PISA 2022 reading release tables.https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/PISA%202022%20results%20(Volume%20I).pdf
04
Reading skills are measured at scale: PISA 2022 uses a reading assessment framework with multiple proficiency levels; 0–1 represent below-baseline reading proficiency (OECD PISA 2022 technical report).https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/pisa-2022-technical-report_3f9c0f9a-en.html
Interpretation
Foundational Skills Interpretation
For the Foundational Skills angle, the PISA results show that about 36% of students are below baseline proficiency in reading, meaning a large share is still missing the core reading skills needed to build further learning.
05 · Category
Demographics & Equity3 stats
01
At least 250 million children are currently out of school globally, increasing risk of later illiteracy and low foundational reading skills (UNICEF/UNESCO education estimates)https://www.unicef.org/education/media/10406/file/out-of-school-children-2021.pdf
02
Refugees face significantly reduced access to education and learning; UNHCR reports that 61% of refugee youth (15–24) were not in education, training, or employment (UNHCR)https://www.unhcr.org/media/61-percent-refugee-youth-15-24-not-in-education-training-or-employment
03
In many low-income countries, literacy rates for adults remain under 70%, with the largest gaps in women and rural populations (UNDP/HDR education indicators)https://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/Country-Profiles/IND.pdf
Interpretation
Demographics & Equity Interpretation
Globally, more than 250 million children are out of school and 61% of refugee youth are not in education, while in many low income countries adult literacy stays under 70% with the biggest gaps for women and rural communities, showing how illiteracy is driven by demographic and equity barriers.
06 · Category
Overview5 stats
01
Low literacy is strongly associated with rural residence: rural populations have lower literacy proficiency than urban populations in many national assessments (UNESCO UIS/field syntheses compiled in World Literacy Foundation).https://worldliteracyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/WLF_Global_Literacy_Report_2023.pdf
02
Adults with low education attainment are far more likely to have low literacy skills: 65% of adults with no more than lower secondary education are low literacy in PIAAC participants (OECD/PIAAC evidence).https://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/Skills-Map-Pearson.pdf
03
In OECD PIAAC data, 47% of adults with a migration background are low performers in literacy in participating countries (OECD/PIAAC evidence).https://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/PIAAC-Skills-Map-2019.pdf
04
A randomized evaluation meta-synthesis found adult basic education improved average literacy outcomes by about 0.3 standard deviations on average (peer-reviewed meta-analysis reported in review paper).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8455716/
05
In a large-scale school reading intervention meta-analysis, structured phonics and fluency approaches increased reading comprehension outcomes by around 0.2–0.3 SD on average (peer-reviewed review in Child Development/related outlets).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7033591/
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
From an industry overview perspective, the data show that literacy gaps are deep and persistent, with 65% of adults with no more than lower secondary education showing low literacy skills and 47% of adults with a migration background performing as low literacy performers, underscoring why targeted education and reading interventions matter.
Reference
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APA
Marcus Afolabi. (2026, February 13). Illiteracy Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/illiteracy-statistics
MLA
Marcus Afolabi. "Illiteracy Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/illiteracy-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Afolabi. 2026. "Illiteracy Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/illiteracy-statistics.
Sources & references
35 datasets cited across this report
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)