Science
Countries with the Highest Literacy Rates (Ranked by UNESCO UIS Data)
Latvia leads global literacy rankings at 99.9 percent adult literacy, with Estonia, Lithuania, and a cluster of Eastern European, Northern European, and East Asian countries reporting rates above 99 percent. More than 30 countries have effectively achieved universal adult literacy. At the other end of the spectrum, Niger's adult literacy rate stands at approximately 19 percent — the world's lowest. This ranking covers the top 15 highest-literacy countries using UNESCO Institute for Statistics data, with methodology, caveats, and analysis of what literacy actually measures.