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

MAPPING THE GLOBAL LITERACY CHALLENGE / 169
By comparing the size of each country’s
illiterate population with its overall adult literacy
rate, countries with especially significant literacy
challenges can be identified. India, Bangladesh,
Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Mozambique,
Nepal, Pakistan, the Sudan and Yemen fall into
this category, with relatively large numbers of
illiterates (more than 5 million) and relatively low
adult literacy rates (less than 63%) (Table 7.6).
By contrast, countries such as Burkina Faso,
Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti, the Niger, Papua New
Guinea and Senegal have low literacy levels, but
also have smaller illiterate populations
(1–5 million).
The link with poverty
The magnitude of the literacy challenge facing many
countries today is further complicated by the strong
links between illiteracy and poverty. For example,
there is a significant negative correlation between
Table 7.7: The literacy challenge compounded: links to poverty
Bangladesh
Egypt
Ethiopia
Ghana
India
Morocco
Mozambique
Nepal
Pakistan
Sudan
Yemen
Algeria
Brazil
China
D.R. Congo
Indonesia
Iran, Isl. Rep.
Mexico
Nigeria
Turkey
Burkina Faso
Côte d’Ivoire
Mali
Niger
Gross national
income per capita,
2003 (in PPP US$)
Number of illiterates is greater than 5 million
and adult literacy rate is < 63%
Percent of population
living below US$2 a day
(most recent figures)
Belongs
to HIPC
countries
1 870 83
3 940 44
710 78 X
2 190 79 X
2 880 81
3 940 14
1 060 78 X
1 420 81
2 040 66
1 760 – X
820 45
Number of illiterates is greater than 5 million
and adult literacy rate is > 63%
5 930 15
7 510 22
4 980 –
660 – X
3 210 52
7 000 7
8 980 26
900 91
6 710 10
Number of illiterates is between 1 and 5 million
and adult literacy rate is < 63%
1 170 81 X
1 400 38 X
960 91 X
830 86 X
Note: The categorization of countries in this table is based on Table 7.6.
Source: World Bank Development Indicators Database
(http://www1.worldbank.org/prem/poverty/data/, accessed April 2005).
measures of poverty and the adult literacy rate,
at both the international level (Figure 7.5) and at
the subnational level in countries such as India
(Figure 7.6); that is, where poverty rates are
higher, literacy rates tend to be lower. Noteworthy
exceptions include countries such as the Islamic
Republic of Iran, Morocco and Tunisia, which have
relatively low poverty and literacy rates.
Table 7.7 provides additional evidence of the
illiteracy–poverty link by reporting estimates of per
Figure 7.5: Literacy rate and poverty
Percentage of population below $2 a day
100
80
60
40
20
0
y = - 0.8165x + 108.89
R 2 = 0.4043
Yemen
Côte d’Ivoire
Morocco
Nigeria
Tunisia
Where poverty
rates are higher,
literacy rates
tend to be lower
Mongolia
Uzbekistan
Rep. Moldova
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Adult literacy rate (%)
Egypt
Sources: Statistical annex, Table 2A, and World Bank Development Indicators Database
(http://www1.worldbank.org/prem/poverty/data/, accessed April 2005).
Average household expenditure per capita (Roupies)
1 000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
Bihar
Uttar Pradesh
Rajasthan
Haryana
Punjab
Tamil Nadu
Karnataka Gujarat
Andhra West Bengal
Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Orissa
Uganda
Zambia
Madagascar
Iran,
Isl. Rep.
Himachal Pradesh
Maharashtra
Zimbabwe
Figure 7.6: Relationship between adult literacy and average household expenditure
in India, by selected states
y = 10.557x - 91.132
R 2 = 0.6139
Kerala
0
45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
Adult literacy rate (%)
Source: Drèze and Sen (2002).