Adult literacy rate in North America

6 countries in North America, 2024. Unit: % of people aged 15+. World ranking →

First in the ranking
96.2 %
Panama
Median country
91.9 %
half above, half below
World
87.7 %
World Bank aggregate
Range
82.1 to 96.2
Guatemala - Panama

How to read it

Across 6 countries in North America, the highest value is in Panama (96.2 %) and the lowest in Guatemala (82.1 %).

The median country is at 91.9 %: half are above, half below.

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.

Compare selected countries · on the world map

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through… · via World Bank WDI (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS) · licence

Literacy over time

%

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Ranking of countries

2024
In chart Share of the highest value
1Panama96.2
2Mexico95.6
3Dominican Republic94.0
4El Salvador89.8
5Honduras88.3
6Guatemala82.1
World Bank, WDI · SE.ADT.LITR.ZS · 2024 · CC BY 4.0 Source and licence

Tick a country in the table to add it to the chart above, up to six at a time. The ranking uses the latest year for which at least half of the countries have a value; countries without a value that year are not listed.