Germany vs Sweden: Literate and illiterate world population

Germany

1.5%

in 1950

Sweden

1.5%

in 1950

Germany rank

105th

Sweden rank

105th

Literate and illiterate world population over time

Germany currently reports 1.5% against 1.5% in Sweden, a difference of 0.0%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 5 shared years of data; in 1475 it was Sweden ahead.

Globally, Germany ranks 105th and Sweden ranks 105th of 128 countries.

Indicator: Literate and illiterate world population
Unit: %
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 128 places, 1,272 data points, 1475–2024
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Share of adults who cannot read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.