Literacy Improves Worldwide

by Alana Herro

In 2000–04, the portion of adults in the world with reading and writing skills reached 82 percent, up from 75 percent in 1990.1 (See Table 1.) The net enrollment ratio of children of eligible age entering primary school was 87 percent, up from 81 percent in 1991.2 Although data are unavailable for several countries in conflict or post-conflict situations, these trends indicate progress toward international goals set in 2000 of meeting the basic learning needs of people of all ages within a generation.3

Although the illiterate population has dropped from its 1990 level of 874 million, there are still 781 million people over the age of 14—or one in five adults—who lack basic literacy skills.4 Some 98 percent of illiterate people live in the developing world.5 The region with the lowest literacy rate is Africa, at 62.5 percent, but Asia has the largest illiterate population—some 546 million people.6 In the poorest countries, only about half of all adults can pass basic literacy tests.7

Some developing countries have been making significant increases in adult literacy, however. Egypt’s literacy rate jumped from just 47.1 percent in 1990 to 71.4 percent in 2000–04, while Ethiopia saw a 16.6-percent increase in the literacy rate and China registered a 52-percent drop in the absolute number of illiterates in the same period.8

The three regions furthest from universal primary education saw improvements in enrollment: the Arab States, for example, saw a 6-percent increase from 1999 to 2004.9 In South and West Asia, enrollment during those five years grew by 19 percent, and in sub-Saharan Africa there was a 27-percent increase.10

Education is a powerful tool against poverty: it is linked to higher income levels.11 And the better educated a person is the more likely he or she is to report being in good health, regardless of income.12 Recent studies even show a positive correlation between life expectancy and the number of years of education a person has.13 For these and other reasons, education is essential to sustainable development.14 Almost two thirds of the people in the world who lack literacy skills are female, and in any region of the world an illiterate adult is most likely to be a woman.15 (See Table 2.) Central and Eastern Europe have the largest share of the illiterate population being female.16 Globally, women appear to be stopping their education at lower and lower levels, a trend that could erode education gains.17

Great strides have been made toward gender parity in primary education, however. Of the 181 countries with 2004 data available, some two thirds have achieved gender parity in primary education.18 And for every 100 boys in primary school, there are 94 girls.19

Efforts focused on women’s education tend to increase female participation and earnings in the labor force and to allow for more effective transfer of the benefits of education—health, educational opportunities, and more—from one generation to the next.20 On average, a child whose mother has no education is twice as likely to not be in school as a child with an educated mother.21

Investment in girls’ education results in some of the greatest returns of all development investments.22 It is linked to higher crop yields and per capita income increases, for instance, and with lower rates of HIV infection and infant mortality.23 In addition, education for girls reduces fertility rates, as educated women are more likely to delay marriage and childbearing, use reliable family planning methods, and have fewer and healthier babies.24

Developing countries have unique challenges to achieving universal education. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, nearly 10 percent of children under 17 years of age have lost at least one parent to HIV/AIDS, and an orphan is 13 percent less likely to be in school than a nonorphan. 25 Some 80 percent of people with disabilities live in developing countries, and it is estimated that more than one third of out-ofschool children have a disability.26 Poor children are less likely to attend school: the number of children not attending school in the poorest 20 percent of households is more than triple that in the wealthiest 20 percent.27 Child soldiers and other youngsters affected by conflict represent another sector facing acute obstacles to education, as do sexually exploited children and those who are pressured into the labor force.28

While funding for education is on the rise, it is estimated that $11 billion a year in development assistance is required to achieve the goal of Education For All (EFA) agreed to in 2000, which is more than twice the current level of aid for basic education.29 Some countries, including Italy, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia, significantly increased the share of their gross domestic product spent on education between 1990 and 1998–2000.30 Others, like Bulgaria, Canada, and Uruguay, reduced the percent allocated to this sector.31

Many developing countries have abolished school fees, leading to a surge in primary school students. After Kenya removed school fees in 2003, 1.2 million additional students entered the school system; in 2005 Burundi enacted the same policy and increased enrollment by 500,000.32

At least 160 countries committed to achieving six EFA goals, which include a special focus on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).33 ECCE, like education for girls, is a particularly cost-efficient means of approaching the goals of EFA.34 Studies suggest ECCE is also exceptionally effective at offsetting disadvantage and inequality for poor and culturally excluded children.35

Enrollment in pre-primary education has nearly tripled since the middle of the 1970s, though coverage remains very low in most of the developing world.36 Most regions now have nearly as many girls as boys enrolled in preprimary education.37

Countries that have made significant progress toward universal education promote policies that allocate public funds to education adequately and equitably and that promote high enrollment, especially for girls.38 Successful countries also have policies that give women the right to own property and the ability to earn an independent income.39 ECCE programs are most effective in promoting Education For All goals when they are taught in the child’s native language, challenge gender stereotypes, mainstream children with disabilities, and are combined with other services such as health care, nutrition, and social services.40

Includes the following charts and graphs
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Notes
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