Today, 8 September, is World Literacy Day! Literacy is most commonly defined as the ability to read and write. Literacy rates measure the basic literacy skills that primary education should equip the population with and can provide insights on the proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 with minimum proficiency in reading and writing (SDG4.6.2). Globally, the youth literacy rate increased from 87 per cent in 2000 to 92 percent in 2020.
Literacy plays a vital role in transforming students into socially engaged citizens. Literacy is critical to economic development as well as individual and community well-being.
Watch which African countries have the highest literacy rate (ages 15 and above):
The statistics of literacy in Africa are alarming. According to UNESCO, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of education exclusion. More than 1 in 3 adults cannot read. 182 million adults are unable to read and write. 48 million youth (ages 15-24) are non-literate. 22% of primary aged children are not in school.
Africa hosts eight out of the 10 countries with the lowest literacy rate.Watch which countries have the lowest literacy rate in the world:
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