Literate and illiterate world population in Benin

Benin: Literate and illiterate world population was 48.6% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
48.6%
Change on year
down 13.4%
World rank
11th
of 128 countries
All-time high
83.5%
in 1979
All-time low
48.6%
in 2022
Years of data
9
1979–2022

Literate and illiterate world population in Benin, 1979–2022

0204060801979200020221979: 83.5 %1992: 72.8 %2002: 65.3 %2011: 55.3 %2013: 54.9 %2017: 61.1 %2019: 51 %2021: 56.2 %2022: 48.6 %

Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for literate and illiterate world population in Benin is 48.6%, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.

That represents a change of down 13.4% on the previous year and down 12.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literate and illiterate world population in Benin peaked at 83.5% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 48.6%, in 2022.

Benin ranks 11th of 128 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 83.5% 83.5% 83.5% 1
1990s 72.8% 72.8% 72.8% 1
2000s 65.3% 65.3% 65.3% 1
2010s 55.6% 51.0% 61.1% 4
2020s 52.4% 48.6% 56.2% 2

Countries ranked near Benin

  1. 8 Sierra Leone 56.4% compare
  2. 9 Cote d'Ivoire 50.0% compare
  3. 10 Senegal 49.6% compare
  4. 12 Gambia 48.4% compare
  5. 13 Pakistan 41.1% compare
  6. 14 Ethiopia 39.5% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More population data for Benin

All data for Benin →

Frequently asked questions

What is literate and illiterate world population in Benin?
Literate and illiterate world population in Benin was 48.6% in 2022, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Benin?
The highest recorded value was 83.5% in 1979.
What is the lowest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Benin?
The lowest recorded value was 48.6% in 2022.
How does Benin rank for literate and illiterate world population?
Benin ranks 11th out of 128 countries with data for 2022.
Is literate and illiterate world population rising or falling in Benin?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Benin data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literate and illiterate world population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

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

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