This table ranks African countries by adult literacy rate — the share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write. Click a heading to re-sort. The unweighted average across the 54 countries is about 67%.
Seychelles has the highest adult literacy rate in Africa and Niger the lowest. Literacy is a core measure of human capital — read it next to life expectancy and the demographics primer.
| # | Country | Literacy rate | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇸🇨 Seychelles | 95.9% | East Africa |
| 2 | 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 95.3% | Central Africa |
| 3 | 🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe | 92.8% | Central Africa |
| 4 | 🇳🇦 Namibia | 91.5% | Southern Africa |
| 5 | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 91.3% | East Africa |
| 6 | 🇱🇾 Libya | 91.0% | North Africa |
| 7 | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 88.7% | Southern Africa |
| 8 | 🇧🇼 Botswana | 88.5% | Southern Africa |
| 9 | 🇸🇿 Eswatini | 88.4% | Southern Africa |
| 10 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 87.0% | Southern Africa |
| 11 | 🇨🇻 Cape Verde | 86.8% | West Africa |
| 12 | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 86.7% | Southern Africa |
| 13 | 🇬🇦 Gabon | 84.7% | Central Africa |
| 14 | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 81.8% | North Africa |
| 15 | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 81.5% | East Africa |
| 16 | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 81.4% | North Africa |
| 17 | 🇨🇬 Republic of Congo | 80.3% | Central Africa |
| 18 | 🇱🇸 Lesotho | 79.4% | Southern Africa |
| 19 | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 79.0% | West Africa |
| 20 | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 77.9% | East Africa |
| 21 | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 77.1% | Central Africa |
| 22 | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of Congo | 77.0% | Central Africa |
| 23 | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | 76.7% | East Africa |
| 24 | 🇪🇷 Eritrea | 76.6% | East Africa |
| 25 | 🇺🇬 Uganda | 76.5% | East Africa |
| 26 | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 73.8% | North Africa |
| 27 | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | 73.2% | East Africa |
| 28 | 🇦🇴 Angola | 71.2% | Southern Africa |
| 29 | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 71.2% | North Africa |
| 30 | 🇩🇯 Djibouti | 70.0% | East Africa |
| 31 | 🇧🇮 Burundi | 68.4% | East Africa |
| 32 | 🇹🇬 Togo | 63.7% | West Africa |
| 33 | 🇲🇼 Malawi | 62.1% | Southern Africa |
| 34 | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 62.0% | West Africa |
| 35 | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 60.7% | Southern Africa |
| 36 | 🇰🇲 Comoros | 58.8% | East Africa |
| 37 | 🇲🇷 Mauritania | 53.5% | West Africa |
| 38 | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 51.9% | West Africa |
| 39 | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 51.8% | East Africa |
| 40 | 🇬🇲 Gambia | 50.8% | West Africa |
| 41 | 🇪🇭 Western Sahara | 50.0% | North Africa |
| 42 | 🇱🇷 Liberia | 48.3% | West Africa |
| 43 | 🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire | 47.2% | West Africa |
| 44 | 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | 45.6% | West Africa |
| 45 | 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | 43.2% | West Africa |
| 46 | 🇧🇯 Benin | 42.4% | West Africa |
| 47 | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 41.2% | West Africa |
| 48 | 🇸🇴 Somalia | 40.0% | East Africa |
| 49 | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | 37.4% | Central Africa |
| 50 | 🇲🇱 Mali | 35.5% | West Africa |
| 51 | 🇸🇸 South Sudan | 34.5% | East Africa |
| 52 | 🇬🇳 Guinea | 32.0% | West Africa |
| 53 | 🇹🇩 Chad | 22.3% | Central Africa |
| 54 | 🇳🇪 Niger | 19.1% | West Africa |
Adult literacy is the percentage of people aged 15+ who can read and write a short simple statement. Definitions and survey years vary by country, so treat small differences in rank with caution. The range runs from about 19% to 96%.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which African country has the highest literacy rate?
Seychelles has the highest adult literacy rate in Africa at about 95.9%, followed by Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé and Príncipe.
What is the average literacy rate in Africa?
Adult literacy averages roughly 67% across the 54 African countries, with wide variation between and within regions.
Which African country has the lowest literacy rate?
Niger reports the lowest adult literacy rate among African countries, at about 19.1%.
How is the literacy rate measured?
The adult literacy rate is the share of people aged 15 and older who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life. Figures come from censuses and household surveys and are revised as new data is collected.
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Last reviewed: 9 June 2026. Figures are revised when source organisations publish new releases. Data: World Bank, IMF, UN.