Chapter 2. Progress towards the EFA goals - Unesco

PROGRESS TOWARDS THE EFA GOALS
Youth and adult literacy
numeracy skills, and thereby the development of
active citizenship, improved health and livelihoods
and gender equality’ (Global Campaign for
Education and ActionAid International, 2005, p.13).
A combination of these two broad definitions
captures the reality of illiteracy as a condition
that denies people opportunity.
The condition affects much of the world’s youth
and adult population, especially women in
developing countries. While all regions are
affected, a relatively small group of countries
with large populations dominates the global
illiteracy headcount.
The illiteracy scourge continues
An estimated 759 million adults – around 16%
of the world’s population aged 15 and over – lack
the basic reading, writing and numeracy skills
needed in everyday life (Table 2.6). More than half
live in South and West Asia, and another one-fifth
in sub-Saharan Africa. Reflecting the legacy of
gender disparity in education, almost two in every
three adult illiterates are female (see annex,
Statistical Table 2).
Measured in aggregate terms, adult illiterates
are heavily concentrated in a small group of largepopulation
countries (Figure 2.29). Just twenty
countries account for around 80% of global illiterates,
with Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan making
up over half the total. The data in this section
highlight the concentration of illiteracy in developing
countries. This should not deflect attention from
the serious problems in rich countries, where large
pockets of illiteracy contribute to wider patterns
of social and economic marginalization (Box 2.19).
Aggregate figures mask differences in the
incidence of illiteracy. Both South and West Asia,
and sub-Saharan Africa have high illiteracy rates,
with more than one in three adults affected in both
regions (Table 2.6). In sub-Saharan Africa, twelve
countries have illiteracy rates in excess of 50%;
among these, in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and
the Niger, more than 70% of the adult population
is illiterate (Figure 2.30). In the Arab States, the
proportion is nearly one-third. Gender disparities are
a major contributor to the high adult illiteracy rates
in all three regions (see annex, Statistical Table 2).
For instance:
Table 2.6: Adult (15 and over) illiteracy rates and numbers,
by region, 2000–2007 1
World
Illiteracy
rates
(%) 2 Illiterates
(millions)
16 759
Figure 2.29: Adult illiteracy is heavily concentrated
in a small group of large-population countries
Adult (15 and over) illiterates (millions), top ten countries
Rest of the world, 218
Developing countries
Developed countries
Countries in transition
Sub-Saharan Africa
Arab States
Central Asia
East Asia and the Pacific
East Asia
Pacific
South and West Asia
Latin America and the Caribbean
Caribbean
Latin America
North America and Western Europe
Central and Eastern Europe
20 752
0.7 5
0.6 1
38 153
29 58
1 0.7
7 108
7 106
7 2
36 391
9 36
25 3
9 33
0.6 4
2 8
Morocco, 10
Indonesia, 13
Brazil, 14
Egypt, 17
Nigeria, 23
Ethiopia, 27
Pakistan, 47
Bangladesh, 49
China, 71
India, 270
About 759 million
adults lack the
basic reading,
writing and
numeracy skills
needed in
everyday life
Notes: The population used to generate the number of illiterates is from the United Nations Population Division estimates (2006 revision).
For countries with national observed literacy data, the population used corresponds to the year of the census or survey.
1. Data are for the most recent year available during the period specified. See the web version of the introduction to the statistical tables for a broader
explanation of national literacy definitions, assessment methods, and sources and years of data.
2. The illiteracy rate is calculated as 100 minus the literacy rate.
Source: Annex, Statistical Table 2.
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