Sample Detail

The bar chart compares the proportion of worldwide illiteracy by region and by gender for the last year. Overall, the illiteracy rate of females eclipsed that of males across six different regions. Notably, South Asia emerged as the most illiterate region, while the opposite was a developed country, which saw the least proportion of people who were unable to read and write. Focusing first on the leading regions, South Asia led the chart in terms of illiteracy, peaking at nearly 55% of females, distantly followed by around 34% of males. The proportion of female illiteracy ranked second in Arab States, at roughly 52%, surpassing approximately 48% that of Sub-Saharan Africa. By contrast, the figure of males in Sub-Saharan Africa eclipsed that of Arab States, at about 31% and 29%, respectively. Turning to the remaining regions, East Asia/ Oceania, Latin American/ Caribbean and developed countries formed the least groups. With this cluster, illiteracy was the most serious in East Asia/ Oceania, at 20% of females, more than doubling that of males, at 8%. The female rate experienced a parallel decline across three regions, tapering off from around 12% in Latin American/ Caribbean to about 2% in developed countries. By contrast, the male illiteracy rate of Latin American/ Caribbean surpassed that of East Asia, at approximately 10% to 8%, respectively, while developed countries represented a mere, only around 1%.