Literacy rate and the gap between urban and rural areas

Although literacy is one of the high priorities of the SDGs, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Institute for Statistics (UIS) (2017) data show that 750 million adults (two-thirds of whom are women) still lack basic reading and writing skills. Of the illiterate population, 13.6 percent were between the ages of 15 and 24 years (UIS, 2017).

Southern Asia is home to almost one-half of the global illiterate population (49 percent). In addition, 27 percent of all illiterate adults live in sub-Saharan Africa, 10 percent in East and Southeast Asia, 9 percent in North Africa and West Asia, and about 4 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean. Many Latin American countries made 40–50 percent gains in literacy during the twentieth century; however, despite such improvements, there remains a wide disparity between nations in this region. At the turn of the twenty-first century, half of the population in poor countries such as Haiti remained illiterate. Less than 2 percent of the global illiterate population live in the remaining regions combined (Central Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania), in which rates are at or near 100 percent in most countries.

The lowest literacy rates are observed in sub-Saharan Africa and in Southern Asia. Adult literacy rates are below 50 percent in the following 20 countries:

Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iraq, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and South Sudan (UIS, 2017). In Burkina Faso, Niger and South Sudan, literacy rates are still below 30 percent. On the other hand, as a result of 12 percent of GDP spending on education, Lesotho has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa with about 85 percent of the adult population being literate. Unlike most countries, Lesotho has a higher female than male literacy rate.¹⁹

Younger generations (aged 15–24 years) are progressively better educated than older generations, reflecting

Belgium United States of America Serbia Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) Singapore Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Portugal Iran (Islamic Republic of) Burundi United Republic of Tanzania Algeria Lao People’s Democratic Republic LesothoIraq Congo Kenya Democratic Republic of the Congo Cambodia

Figure 2-15 Global literacy rate (percent of population), 2017.

Source: UIS, 2017.

0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100

increased access to schooling. Globally, the youth literacy rate increased from 83 percent to 91.4 percent over two decades, while the number of illiterate youth declined from 170 million to 115 million. In 2015, the youth literacy rate stood above 95 percent in 101 out of 159 countries where data are available (UNESCO, 2017). And it is particularly promising that this intergenerational change is happening especially quickly in the least educated regions of the world. Youth literacy rates remain low in several countries, most in sub-Saharan Africa, at less than 50 percent because of low access to schooling, early school leaving or a poor quality of education. However, even when universal primary education is within reach, some countries, such as Malawi and Zambia, show low youth literacy rates (UNESCO, 2017). Bhutan and Nepal in southern Asia, and Algeria, Eritrea and Togo in sub-Saharan Africa, had the biggest increases in youth literacy over the past 50 years. The biggest improvements in youth literacy are observed in Algeria and Bhutan. They went from very low youth literacy 50 years ago to a significantly higher share of youth with basic literacy skills (94 percent and 87 percent, respectively) in 2016, mainly because of increased access to primary schooling (UIS, 2017).

The youth literacy rate increased the most in South and West Asia (from 85.6 percent in 2012 to 88.6 percent in 2016) and sub-Saharan Africa (from 73 percent to 75.5 percent). To a lesser extent, progress was also observed in all other regions (UIS, 2017).

Despite 60 percent of the countries and areas for which data are available having eradicated or almost eradicated illiteracy among youth, regional and gender disparities persist. Literacy is lowest in the rural areas of LDCs

and higher among males than females. In sub-Saharan Africa the gap is largest, only 54 percent of youth in rural areas are literate, whereas in urban areas this number is 87 percent. For example, in Niger, only 15 percent of youth in rural areas can read a simple sentence. In Burkina Faso and Chad this number is 19 percent, and somewhat better in Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire at 35 percent. In recent decades in Latin America and the Caribbean, the gap has been rapidly decreasing.

In Bolivia it is only 2 percent, while in countries such Barbados, Columbia, Uruguay and St. Lucia literacy between urban and rural youth is equal. In this region Haiti has the highest illiteracy among the rural youth population at 74 percent (UNESCO, 2017).

Indeed, the gender gap is correlated with the regional disparity. Figures 2-18 and 2-19 clearly show that those regions and LDCs with higher gaps in youth literacy between urban and rural areas also show higher gender gaps between youth populations. In sub-Saharan Africa the gap is 18 percentage points, whereas in LDCs in general it is 23 percentage points. In East and Southeast Asia, male youth are 14 percent less literate than the females. In Latin America and Caribbean this gap is just 2 percent, while in Europe and North America the gap is already closed and gender literacy equality is achieved among the youth population. The largest inequality gap is seen in Afghanistan at 50 percentage points, followed by Guinea 45 percentage points, based on latest available data from UNESCO (2019).

Globally, in 2016, almost 90 percent of women aged 15–

24 years had basic literacy skills. Women thus have made more progress than men since the 1960s. Improvements

Low income countries Lower middle income countries Middle income countries Upper middle income countries

2016 2015

2014 2013

2012 World

Arab States Central and Eastern Europe Central Asia East Asia and the Pacific Latin America and the Caribbean South and West Asia Sub-Saharan Africa

Figure 2-16 Youth literacy rate 15–24 years by regions (percent of total youth population), 2012–2016.

Source: UNESCO, 2019.

Figure 2-17 Youth literacy rate by degree of urbanization, various years.

Source: UIS Database, 2019.

Figure 2-18 Youth literacy rate by gender, various years.

Source: UIS Database, 2019.

Rural Urban

in female youth literacy are significantly greater than for males in all regions of the world, except in Central Asia and Europe and North America, where there was hardly any gender gap in youth literacy 50 years ago. Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are the regions in which women progressed the most. Five decades ago, in Central Asia and Europe and North America, only one-quarter of young women were able to read, but nowadays young women fare significantly better with 86 percent and 72 percent being literate, respectively. In northern Africa and western Asia, a substantially larger share of young women (88 percent) is also literate compared to 50 years ago (43 percent). Countries that have made the greatest progress include Algeria, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Malawi, Oman, Rwanda and Uganda. In these countries, the gender gap in youth aged 15–24 years has been, or is

almost, closed (UIS, 2017). ^{Female Male}

Niger Lao People’s Democratic RepublicIraq Malawi Democratic Republic of the Congo Comoros Bolivia (Plurinational State of)Peru Viet Nam Sao Tome and Principe Sudan Lao People’s Democratic Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Comoros Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Uruguay

2.2.2 INTRODUCTION OF ICTS TO THE