literacy for life; EFA global monitoring report, 2006 - Institut de ...

MAPPING THE GLOBAL LITERACY CHALLENGE / 167
Increases in youth literacy rates have, on
average, been slower than for adult literacy rates,
due to their higher starting point. In developing
countries, the youth literacy rate increased during
each of the past three decades by about thirteen,
nine and five percentage points, respectively. The
corresponding figures for the adult literacy rates
were twenty-two, sixteen and fourteen percentage
points. Gender disparities in youth literacy are
less pronounced than in adult literacy, with a
global GPI of 0.93 in 2000–2004.
Throughout the developing world, levels of
youth literacy are higher than levels of adult
literacy – a sign of future progress. Still, youth
literacy rates vary considerably among countries
with low adult literacy rates (Figure 7.2). In
several cases, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa
(e.g. Burkina Faso, the Niger and Mali), both adult
and youth literacy levels are extremely low and
improvements in literacy levels are expected to be
slow. In many such contexts, young women have
yet to acquire minimal literacy skills. For example,
in Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, the Niger and
Yemen, the GPIs are below 0.60 for the younger
generation (see statistical annex, Table 12).
Overall, considerable global progress in adult
and youth literacy rates has occurred during the
past fifty years. Nevertheless, the challenge to
improve the quantity and quality of literacy
worldwide has not diminished: indeed, unless
progress is significantly accelerated, the 2015
targets fixed at Dakar will not be achieved (see
Chapter 2). To better understand the enormous
intra-regional variation in literacy trends and
patterns, the next section presents evidence and
analyses at the national and subnational levels.
Where is the literacy challenge
most pressing?
The vast majority of the 771 million adults who
lack minimal literacy skills live in three regions:
South and West Asia, East Asia and the Pacific,
and sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, as Figure 7.3
shows, three-quarters of the world’s illiterate
population live in just twelve countries. 16
Since 1990, the illiterate population in eight of
these twelve countries has decreased (Table 7.5),
16. After these twelve countries, the largest illiterate populations in
decreasing order of number of illiterates, are found in the Sudan, Nepal,
Mexico, Algeria, the United Republic of Tanzania, Turkey, Mozambique,
Ghana, Yemen, Viet Nam, the Niger, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Mali,
Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Uganda and the Philippines, with an estimated
3–8 million each. Extrapolations from earlier literacy data indicate that
Afghanistan and Iraq should also be on this list.
Figure 7.2: Youth and adult literacy rates for selected countries, 2000—2004
Literacy rates (%)
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Adult
Youth
Burkina Faso
Niger
Mali
Chad
Sierra Leone
Benin
Senegal
Ethiopia
Mozambique
Côte d’Ivoire
C. A. R.
Note: See source table for detailed country notes.
Source: Statistical annex, Table 2A.
Rest of the world
25.0%
D. R. Congo 1.2%
Morocco 1.3%
Iran, Isl. Rep. 1.4%
Brazil 1.9%
Egypt 2.2%
Indonesia 2.4%
Ethiopia 2.8%
Nigeria 2.9%
Pakistan 6.2%
Bangladesh
6.8%
Yemen
Morocco
Mauritania
Egypt
Sudan
China
11.3%
India
34.6%
Bangladesh
Nepal
Pakistan
Papua N. Guinea
Figure 7.3: Distribution of global adult illiterate population, 2000—2004
Source: Statistical annex, Table 2A.
Table 7.5: Change in the illiterate population, 1990 to 2000—2004,
in countries with the greatest numbers of illiterates
Country
India
China
Bangladesh
Pakistan
Nigeria
Ethiopia
Indonesia
Egypt
Brazil
Iran, Isl. Rep.
Morocco
D.R. Congo
Total
1990
(000)
Total Share of world total Change from
2000–2004
(000)
1990
(%)
2000–2004
(%)
1990 to 2000–2004
(000)
272 279 267 002 31.2 34.6 -5 277
181 331 87 038 20.8 11.3 -94 293
41 606 52 209 4.8 6.8 10 603
41 368 47 577 4.7 6.2 6 209
23 678 22 167 2.7 2.9 -1 511
18 993 21 955 2.2 2.8 2 962
23 800 18 432 2.7 2.4 -5 368
17 432 17 270 2.0 2.2 -162
17 336 14 870 2.0 1.9 -2 466
11 506 10 543 1.7 1.8 -963
9 089 10 108 1.4 1.7 1 019
10 400 9 131 1.6 1.6 -1 269
Note: See source table for detailed country notes.
Source: Statistical annex, Table 2A.
668 818 578 302 77.8 76.2 -90 516
Haiti