Society
Verified dataThe world learned to read
The share of people who can read and write has risen from about 12% in 1820 to roughly 88% today — from one in eight adults to nearly nine in ten.
Global literacy rose from around 12% in 1820 to about 88% in 2024 — a gain of some 76 percentage points, and one of the largest improvements in human history.
Key findings
- In 1820 only about 12% of the world — roughly one in eight adults — could read and write.
- By 2024 that share had reached about 88%, close to nine in ten people.
- The steepest gains came after 1950, as mass schooling spread across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Explore the data
Coverage: Jan 1, 1820 – Dec 31, 2024 · World
Sources
Primary source
UNESCO and other sources
via Our World in Data
Literacy rate
Accessed Aug 22, 2026
Share of the population able to read and write; long-run series combining UNESCO data with historical estimates.
Methodology
Literacy rate — the share of people (typically aged 15 and older) who can both read and write — for the world, from 1820 to 2024. Figures are compiled by Our World in Data from UNESCO and long-run historical estimates. Historical figures before the mid-20th century are reconstructions and carry more uncertainty than modern survey-based rates.
What this does not show
Figures before roughly 1950 are historical estimates and are less certain than modern data; the pre-20th-century series rests on only a few benchmark years. Literacy is usually self-reported or based on varying national definitions, so cross-country and cross-era comparisons are approximate. The chart connects the available data points and does not imply smooth year-by-year change in the sparse early period.
Creator
Reuse this visualization
Attribution
Graphic by Chartive Editorial, using data from UNESCO and other sources
License: CC BY 4.0
Embed code
<figure style="margin:0;max-width:1600px">
<a href="https://chartive.org/visualizations/world-literacy-1820-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://chartive.org/infographics/world-literacy-1820-2024.png" alt="Line chart of the share of the world that can read and write, rising from about 12% in 1820 to roughly 88% in 2024, with the fastest gains after 1950." width="1600" height="2133" style="max-width:100%;height:auto" />
</a>
<figcaption style="font:14px/1.4 system-ui,sans-serif;color:#57534e;margin-top:8px">
Graphic by Chartive Editorial, using data from UNESCO and other sources — via <a href="https://chartive.org/visualizations/world-literacy-1820-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chartive</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>Reuse is welcome — the embed keeps a link back to the source.