In this article, we will be navigating through the 30 least educated countries in the world. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can move directly to the 5 Least Educated Countries in the World.

Literacy Across the World: An Analysis

As reported by UNESCO, the world has significantly progressed in education over the years. As compared to 68% of the population being able to read and write in 1979, more than 86% have a similar capability as of now. However, adult literacy is still an issue with almost 763 million adults lacking literacy skills.

The COVID-19 pandemic majorly disrupted global education. Between March 2020 and September 2021, nearly 131 million schoolchildren in 11 countries missed three-quarters of classroom instruction. The majority of the impacted students were from the Philippines and Bangladesh. Region-wise, South Asia and East Asia and the Pacific were the two regions where full school closures were widely maintained. The impact on Africa was also evident by the fact that while the total out-of-school children increased, the dropout rate among girls in secondary education in Malawi went up by 48% between 2020 and 2021.

Sub-Saharan Africa has been victim to a deprivation of reading and numeracy skills among its children. Countries such as the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, and Ghana remain subject to this lack of foundational skills in children. An important relation in this regard is how the attainment of education is intertwined with wealth inequality. Especially for reading skills, children belonging to the wealthy segment tend to have better skills than those who live in poverty. Countries with the highest poverty rates have also been previously discussed. Several other factors influencing these skills in children relate to functional difficulties, lack of books at home, and mothers not having primary education. Similarly, the social inequalities and caste system restrict literacy in India. While rural children engage in work instead of school, those from the lower castes face issues with access to education.

Advanced Literacy in a Digital Era

The concept of literacy has evolved over time. From a mere sense of reading and writing, literacy has transformed into the skills needed to operate in an information-rich and digital world. By facilitating the learning of these skills, an amalgam of education and technology commonly known as ‘education technology’ or edtech has been helping students around the world. Some of the most valuable edtech companies such as 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU), Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR), and Udemy, Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY) continue to shape the educational landscape by facilitating learning around the world.

2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU) provides career-relevant education through its online platform edX. On February 1, the company reported that it has entered into a partnership with the University of Surrey. Under this collaboration, five online degree programs will be initially offered in 2024. These degrees will relate to business, marketing, AI, psychology, and sustainability. At least 15 master’s degrees and at least 15 professional certificate programs are expected to be delivered by 2026. This will expand access of students around the world to this prestigious university in the United Kingdom.

Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) serves as one of the biggest online learning platforms that offer numerous courses, certifications, bachelor’s and master’s degrees. On February 1, the company reported its earnings for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2023. Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) reported earnings per share of $0.06, beating EPS estimate by $0.06. The company’s revenue for the quarter amounted to $168.88 million, up 18.78% year-over-year and ahead of revenue consensus by $4.11 million.

Udemy, Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY) is another known edtech company that gives access to a diverse set of in-demand online courses. On February 1, the company reported that it will be launching several generative AI-enabled offerings to foster skill development in 2024. Among these, Udemy AI Learning Assistant will help learners find relevant content. Simultaneously, Gen AI-powered Q&A will be responding to student queries in a fast and efficient manner.

Without further ado, let’s move to the 30 least educated countries in the world.

Our Methodology:

In order to compile a list of the 30 least educated countries in the world, we sourced data from the World Bank. We selected the literacy rate among adults aged 15 and above as our metric. As reported by the World Bank, the adult literacy rate refers to the ‘percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life’. The least educated countries tend to have the lowest adult literacy rates and have been ranked in descending order of their most recent adult literacy rates. 

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30 Least Educated Countries in the World

30. Angola                           

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 72.4%

In 2022, literate adults in Angola were recorded at 72.4%. Among them, the females had a literacy rate of 62.5% which highlights a gender gap.

29. Bhutan                        

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 72.1%

Bhutan is another less educated nation. According to the World Bank, the literacy rate among adults aged 15 and above in the country was last recorded at 72.1%.

28. Nepal                  

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 71.2%

Nepal ranks as one of the least educated countries in the world. This is evident from the fact that 71.2% of the country’s population aged 15 and above were reported to be literate in 2021.

27. Timor-Leste                      

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 69.9%

The percentage of 15-year-olds and above with literacy skills in Timor-Leste was reported to be 69.9% in 2020. Female literacy rate was recorded at 66.5%.

26. Malawi                    

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 68.1%

68.1% of Malawi’s population aged 15 and above was literate as recorded in 2022. Hence, Malawi ranks among the 30 least educated countries in the world.

25. Mauritania                    

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 67%

Mauritania is another less educated nation. In 2021, the literacy rate among the population aged 15 and above in the country was 67%.

24. Togo                   

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 66.5%

In 2019, the adult literacy rate in Togo was reported to be 66.5% by the World Bank. Hence, Togo is one of the least educated countries in the world.

23. Nigeria                         

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 62%

In 2022, the percentage of literate adults who were 15 and above was recorded at 62% in Nigeria. Therefore, the country ranks among the least educated nations around the world.

22. Comoros                  

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 61.7%

Comoros ranks as another nation with a low level of education. In 2022, 61.7% of the country’s population aged 15 and above were reported to have literacy skills.

21. Haiti                      

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 61.7%

The overall literacy rate in Haiti was last recorded at 61.7% in 2016. The female literacy rate was 58.3% while the males had a literacy rate of 65.3%.

20. Papua New Guinea                 

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 61.6%

Papua New Guinea ranks among the 30 countries with the least education. 61.6% of the country’s adults aged 15 and above were reported to be literate by the World Bank.

19. Sudan                        

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 60.7%

The literacy rate among adults aged 15 and above in Sudan was last reported to be 60.7% in 2018. Females are less literate than males in the country.

18. Mozambique                      

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 59.8%

Only 59.8% of Mozambique’s population aged 15 and above qualified as being literate in 2020. Hence, the country ranks among the least educated nations in the world.

17. Gambia         

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 58.7%

In 2022, 58.7% of the population aged 15 and above in Gambia was reported to be literate. The female literacy rate was lower than that of males and was recorded at 52.3%.

16. Pakistan              

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 58%

Pakistan ranks as one of the 30 least educated countries in the world. In 2019, only 58% of adults in Pakistan aged 15 and above had the ability to read and write.

15. Senegal                    

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 57.7%

The percentage of adults with literacy skills in Senegal was recorded to be 57.7% in 2022 while the female literacy rate in the country was 47.1%.

14. Guinea-Bissau      

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 53.9%

Guinea-Bissau is one of the least educated countries where 53.9% of the adults aged 15 and above had literacy skills as reported in 2022.

13. Ethiopia              

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 51.8%

In 2017, adults in Ethiopia had a literacy rate of 51.8% while 44.4% of the females were known to be literate. Hence, Ethiopia ranks as one of the least educated countries in the world.

12. Sierra Leone              

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 48.6%

Sierra Leone ranks among the least educated countries globally. In 2022, 48.6% of adults aged 15 and above had the capability to read and write in the country.

11. Liberia                   

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 48.3%

The literacy rate among adult women in Liberia was last recorded at 34.1% in 2017. The overall literacy rate among the country’s adults was 48.3%. 

10. Benin                  

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 47.1%

Benin is another less educated nation. The country had a literacy rate of 47.1% among its population aged 15 and above in 2022.

9. Guinea           

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 45.3%

Guinea ranks as one of the least educated countries in the world. The literacy rate among women aged 15 and above was only 31.3% in 2021. The overall literacy rate for Guinea was recorded at 45.3%.

8. Somalia                         

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 41%

The literacy rate among adults aged 15 and above in Somalia was 41% as recorded last in 2022. The country has one of the lowest female literacy rates among all other countries.

7. Niger            

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 38.1%

Niger is one of the least educated nations. While the country’s overall literacy rate was 38.1% in 2022, females in the country had a relatively low literacy rate of 29.7%.

6. Central African Republic                      

Literacy Rate Among Population Aged 15 and Above: 37.5%

The literacy rate in the Central African Republic was only 37.5% in 2020. The female literacy rate in the country was 26.2% while the male literacy rate was 49.2%. Hence, the Central African Republic is another less educated country.

Click to continue reading and see 5 Least Educated Countries in the World.

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Disclosure: None. 30 Least Educated Countries in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.