This article introduces the top 30 least educated countries in the world. If you want to skip the detailed analysis, you can go directly to the next page. The 5 least educated countries in the world.
Literacy around the world: An analysis
According to a UNESCO report, the world has made significant progress in education over the years. In 1979, 68% of the population could read and write, and now more than 86% have similar abilities. However, adult literacy remains a problem, with approximately 763 million adults lacking literacy skills.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused major disruption to education around the world. From March 2020 to September 2021, approximately 131 million schoolchildren in 11 countries missed three-quarters of their classroom lessons. Most of the affected students were from the Philippines and Bangladesh. Regionally, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific were two of her regions where total school closures were widely maintained. The impact on Africa was evident in the fact that the dropout rate for girls in secondary education in Malawi increased by 48% between 2020 and 2021, while the total number of out-of-school children increased.
Sub-Saharan Africa is suffering from the deprivation of children's reading and numeracy skills. In countries such as the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad and Ghana, children continue to lack basic skills. An important relationship in this regard is how educational attainment is intertwined with wealth inequality. Children from wealthy families tend to have better skills than children from poorer families, especially when it comes to reading comprehension. Countries with the highest poverty rates were also discussed earlier. Some other factors that influence these skills in children are related to functional difficulties, lack of books at home, and the mother's lack of primary education. Similarly, social inequality and the caste system limit literacy in India. While rural children are engaged in work rather than school, children from lower castes face problems in accessing education.
Advanced literacy in the digital age
The concept of literacy has evolved over time. Literacy has changed from just the sense of reading and writing to a skill needed to function in an information-rich digital world. The convergence of education and technology, commonly known as “educational technology” or edtech, has helped students around the world by facilitating the learning of these skills. Some of the most valuable edtech companies, such as 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU), Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR), and Udemy, Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY), are committed to accelerating learning in education. continues to shape the educational environment. world.
2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU) provides career-related education through its online platform edX. On February 1st, the company report Announcing a partnership with the University of Surrey. Under this partnership, five online degree programs will initially be offered in 2024. These degrees relate to business, marketing, AI, psychology, and sustainability. By 2026, at least 15 master's degrees and at least 15 professional certificate programs will be offered. This allows students from all over the world to access this prestigious UK university.
Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) serves as one of the largest online learning platforms offering numerous courses, certifications, bachelor's and master's degrees. On February 1, the company announced its fourth quarter 2023 earnings. Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) reported earnings per share of $0.06, beating EPS estimates by $0.06. The company's revenue for the quarter was $168.88 million, an increase of 18.78% year-over-year and beat the revenue consensus by $4.11 million.
Udemy, Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY) is another well-known edtech company that provides access to a variety of in-demand online courses. On February 1st, the company report The company says it plans to release several AI-powered generative products in 2024 to accelerate skill development. Among them, Udemy AI Learning Assistant helps learners find relevant content. At the same time, Gen AI-powered Q&A responds to student questions quickly and efficiently.
So without further ado, let's move on to the 30 least educated countries in the world.
30 countries with the lowest educational standards in the world
Our methodology:
To compile our list of the 30 least educated countries in the world, we sourced the following data: World Bank. We chose her adult literacy rate of 15 years and older as our indicator. According to a World Bank report, adult literacy refers to “the percentage of people aged 15 and over who can understand short, simple sentences about everyday life and can both read and write.” Countries with the lowest levels of education tend to have the lowest adult literacy rates, and are ranked in order of most recent adult literacy rates.
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30 countries with the lowest educational standards in the world
30. Angola
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 72.4%
In 2022, Angola's adult literacy rate was 72.4%. Among these, the literacy rate for women was 62.5%, highlighting the gender disparity.
29. Bhutan
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 72.1%
Bhutan is also a country with a low level of education. According to the World Bank, the country's literacy rate among adults aged 15 and older was last recorded at 72.1%.
28. Nepal
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 71.2%
Nepal ranks as one of the least educated countries in the world. This is evident from the fact that in 2021, 71.2% of the country's population over the age of 15 was reported to be literate.
27. East Timor
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 69.9%
In Timor-Leste, the percentage of people aged 15 and over who can read and write is reported to be 69.9% as of 2020. The female literacy rate was recorded at 66.5%.
26. Malawi
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 68.1%
According to 2022 records, 68.1% of Malawi's population aged 15 and above was literate. Malawi therefore ranks among the 30 least educated countries in the world.
25. Mauritania
Literacy rate of population over 15 years old: 67%
Mauritania is also a country with low levels of education. In 2021, the literacy rate of the country's population aged 15 and above was 67%.
24. Togo
Literacy rate of population over 15 years old: 66.5%
In 2019, the World Bank reported that Togo's adult literacy rate was 66.5%. Therefore, Togo is one of the least educated countries in the world.
23. Nigeria
Literacy rate of population over 15 years old: 62%
In 2022, the percentage of literate adults aged 15 and above in Nigeria reached 62%. Therefore, this country ranks as one of the least educated countries in the world.
22. Comoros
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 61.7%
Comoros also ranks as a country with low levels of education. It is reported that in 2022, 61.7% of the country's population aged 15 and above will be literate.
21. Haiti
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 61.7%
Haiti's overall literacy rate was last recorded in 2016 at 61.7%. The female literacy rate was 58.3% and the male literacy rate was 65.3%.
20. Papua New Guinea
Literacy rate among the population aged 15 and above: 61.6%
Papua New Guinea ranks among the 30 least educated countries. According to a World Bank report, 61.6% of adults over the age of 15 in the country can read and write.
19. Sudan
Literacy rate of population over 15 years old: 60.7%
The literacy rate for adults aged 15 and above in Sudan was last reported to be 60.7% in 2018. The literacy rate of women is lower than that of men in this country.
18. Mozambique
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 59.8%
As of 2020, only 59.8% of Mozambique's population over the age of 15 had the ability to read and write. Therefore, this country ranks as one of the least educated countries in the world.
17. Gambia
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 58.7%
In 2022, 58.7% of Gambia's population over the age of 15 is reported to be literate. The literacy rate of women was lower than that of men, at 52.3%.
16. Pakistan
Literacy rate of population over 15 years old: 58%
Pakistan ranks among the top 30 least educated countries in the world. In 2019, only 58% of Pakistani adults over the age of 15 were literate.
15. Senegal
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 57.7%
The percentage of literate adults in Senegal was recorded at 57.7% in 2022, while the country's female literacy rate was 47.1%.
14. Guinea-Bissau
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 53.9%
Guinea-Bissau is one of the least educated countries, with 53.9% of adults aged 15 and older being literate, according to a 2022 report.
13. Ethiopia
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and above: 51.8%
In 2017, Ethiopia's adult literacy rate was 51.8%, with 44.4% of women known to be able to read and write. Therefore, Ethiopia ranks as one of the least educated countries in the world.
12. Sierra Leone
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 48.6%
Sierra Leone ranks as one of the least educated countries in the world. In 2022, 48.6% of adults over the age of 15 in this country were literate.
11. Liberia
Literacy rate of population aged 15 and over: 48.3%
Liberia's adult female literacy rate was last recorded at 34.1% in 2017. The overall adult literacy rate in this country was 48.3%.
10. Benin
Literacy rate among the population aged 15 and above: 47.1%
Benin is also a country with a low level of education. As of 2022, the literacy rate of the country's population over the age of 15 was 47.1%.
9. Guinea
Literacy rate of population over 15 years old: 45.3%
Guinea ranks as one of the least educated countries in the world. In 2021, her literacy rate for women over the age of 15 was only 31.3%. Guinea's overall literacy rate was recorded at 45.3%.
8. Somalia
Literacy rate of population over 15 years old: 41%
Somalia's adult literacy rate for adults aged 15 and older was 41% in 2022, when it was last recorded. This country has one of the lowest female literacy rates of any country.
7. Niger
Literacy rate among the population aged 15 and above: 38.1%
Niger is one of the countries with the lowest educational standards. The country's overall literacy rate in 2022 was 38.1%, but the female literacy rate was relatively low at 29.7%.
6. Central African Republic
Literacy rate among the population aged 15 and above: 37.5%
In 2020, the literacy rate in the Central African Republic was only 37.5%. The country's female literacy rate was 26.2% and male literacy rate was 49.2%. Therefore, the Central African Republic is also a country with low levels of education.
Click to keep reading to see the five least educated countries in the world.
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Disclosure: None. 30 countries with the lowest educational standards in the world Originally published on Insider Monkey.
