Through sustained effort, we are close to eradicating guinea worm disease

In 1820, only 1 in 10 people over the age of 15 could read. Today, the corresponding global literacy rate — the share of adults aged 15 and older who can read and write — is 87%. That means more than 5 billion people can read and write today, compared to fewer than 100 million two centuries ago.

The chart shows the rising global literacy rate over time. The data combines historical estimates from academic historians with more recent statistics from UNESCO.

As we can see, widespread literacy is a recent achievement. This trend underlines a huge achievement, but it’s important to remember that there’s still much progress ahead of us. In many schools, children learn very little, and many still do not attend school.

Read more about how literacy is measured, and learn about the research that identifies low-cost ways to improve learning outcomes →