
These maps of the world show the rate of literacy between two age groups: (1) those 15-24 years of age; and (2) those 65 years old and above, based on UNESCO data.
For the younger generation, the literacy rate is high in most areas of the world, except in several African countries. The 65+ age group suffers from low literacy rates in most of Africa, several countries in Asia, and parts of Central America and the Caribbean.
UK-based research group Our World in Data, which cited the UNESCO study on literacy, noted that as the young and literate generation grows up, the world’s literacy rate could eventually increase.
The books below provide a picture of literacy in evolving times:
- Read the World: Rethinking Literacy for Empathy and Action in a Digital Age
- Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World
- Rethinking Early Literacies: Reading and Rewriting Worlds (Changing Images of Early Childhood)
- The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens
Help us out by sharing this map: