Countries with Highest Literacy Rate: According to Cambridge dictionary, ‘literacy means the ability of a person to read & write or having knowledge of a particular subject.’ Literacy rate is the total percent of population who can read and write. For example literacy rate of India is 74.04%, then it implies out of every 100 people 74 are literate. However, India is not amongst those 25 countries with highest literacy rate.
25 Countries With Highest Literacy Rate:-
25. Finland (99%)
Main features: Education is an instrument to balance out social inequality, free school meals, ease of access to health care, psychological counseling and individualized guidance.
24. Uzbekistan (99.3%)
Uzbekistan has a high literacy rate but with only 76% of the under-15 population currently enrolled in education, this figure may drop in the future.
23. Hungary (99.4%)
Most of the Hungarian universities are public institutions, and students traditionally study without fee payment. Among the countries sending most their students to Hungary are Germany, Iran, Norway, Israel and Sweden.
22. Palau (99.55%)
An island country located in the western Pacific Ocean. Popular choices among Palauan scholars include the San Diego State University, University of the Philippines, Mindanao State University, and University of the South Pacific.
21. Slovakia (99.6%)
Education in Slovakia is compulsory from age 6 – 16. Slovakia has a wide range of universities. The biggest university is Comenius University.
20. Belarus (99.7%)
Education in Belarus is free for all levels except for higher education.
Belarus counts 55 higher education institutions.
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19. Turkmenistan (99.7%)
Turkmenistan provides for free access to primary education for all children but for a mandatory schooling up to the secondary level. Their education system produces highly skilled citizens so that the country can participate in international activities or undertakings.
18. Russian Federation (99.7%)
As a result of great emphasis on science & technology in education, Russian medical, mathematical, scientific, and aerospace research is generally of a high order.
17. Barbados (99.7%)
Barbados’ literacy rate is ranked close to 100%. Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) is conducted for students who have completed their secondary education and wish to continue their studies.
16. Slovenia (99.7%)
Slovenia’s education ranks as the 12th best in the world. University of Ljubljana is th best ranked among several universities in Slovenia.
15. Azerbaijan (99.72%)
Azerbaijanis have obtained some form of higher education, most notably in scientific and technical subjects. According to Soviet data, 100% of males & females were literate in 1970.
14. Cuba (99.8%)
The Cuban Ministry of Higher Education operates a distance education program that provides regular afternoon and evening courses in rural areas for agricultural workers.
13. Kazakhstan (99.8%)
Education system consists of 3 phases: primary education, basic general education and senior level education.
12. Ukraine (99.8%)
Access to free education is granted to all Ukrainian citizens. Ukraine produces the 4th largest number of post-secondary graduates in Europe, while being ranked 7th in population.
11. Armenia (99.8%)
Primary and secondary education in Armenia is free. Schooling takes 12 years in Armenia which breaks down into primary (4 years), middle (5 years) and high school (3 years).
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10. Georgia (99.8%)
Education in Georgia is mandatory for all children aged 6–14. Tbilisi State Medical University is the home to several major institutions of higher education in Georgia.
9. Poland (99.8%)
In Poland, there are 500 higher-level institutions, 18 fully accredited traditional universities, 20 technical universities, 9 independent medical universities, 5 universities for the study of economics, 9 agricultural academies, 3 pedagogical universities, a theological academy, 3 maritime service universities and 4 national military academies.
8. Estonia (99.8%)
There are currently 589 schools in Estonia. Education in Estonia is divided into general, vocational, and hobby. Some of the best-known scientists are related to Estonia.
7. Latvia (99.9%)
The Latvian policy of science & technology sets out the long term goal i.e., transition from labour-consuming economy to knowledge-based economy. The highest numbers of inventions, which are patented, are made in the branch of medical chemistry.
6. Lithuania (99.8%)
According to the World Bank, the literacy rate among Lithuanians aged 15 years and older is 100%. However, Lithuanian teachers‘ salaries are lowest in entire EU.
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5. Liechtenstein (100%)
Within Liechtenstein, there are 4 main centers for higher education: University of Liechtenstein, Private University in the Principality of Liechtenstein, Liechtenstein Institute and International Academy of Philosophy, Liechtenstein
4. Vatican City – Holy See (100%)
The Vatican Library represents one of the largest existing sources of information on the development of the Western world. Gregorian University (largest school) was founded in 1551, which offers religious educations in topics like canon law and theology.
3. North Korea (100% approx.)
Here, the study of natural sciences is greatly emphasized while social sciences are neglected. Most of the graduates from the compulsory program do not attend university but begin their obligatory military services.
2. Greenland (100%)
Many Greenlanders attend universities in Denmark or elsewhere because education is organised in a similar way to Denmark.
1. Andorra (100%)
Education up to secondary level is free for all citizens by the government. There are three systems of school, Andorran, French and Spanish – parents may choose which system their children attend. Andorra is the No.1 in our list of countries with highest literacy rate in the world.
NOTE: Country rankings of the type presented above cannot pretend to be definitive; instead they aspire only to provide the reader with an approximation of the high and low ends on a particular scale. Country data vary enormously depending on the sources, and the absence of reliable data on some countries requires their omission, which will further skew the results.
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Few more countries with highest literacy rate (99%):-
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom