Skill to read is a write

A STAGGERING 86 per cent of the global population aged over 15 is literate, a study says.

This map below shows how the rates of people who can read and write varies between countries around the world.

In many nations, more than 95 per cent have basic literacy skills. Literacy skills of the majority of the population is a modern achievement. The rate of growth in literacy really climbed after the middle of the 20th century, when education became a priority across the world.

Globally, however, large inequalities remain, notably between sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the world. In Burkina Faso, Niger and South Sudan – the African countries at the bottom of the rank – literacy rates are still below 30 per cent.