Literate and illiterate world population in Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau: Literate and illiterate world population was 36.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
36.1%
Change on year
down 20.1%
World rank
16th
of 128 countries
All-time high
97.0%
in 1950
All-time low
36.1%
in 2022
Years of data
5
1950–2022

Literate and illiterate world population in Guinea-Bissau, 1950–2022

0204060801001950198620221950: 97 %1979: 80 %2000: 58.6 %2019: 45.1 %2022: 36.1 %

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

Analysis

Guinea-Bissau recorded 36.1% for literate and illiterate world population in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.1% on the previous year and down 20.1% over five years.

Over the whole period, literate and illiterate world population in Guinea-Bissau peaked at 97.0% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 36.1%, in 2022.

Guinea-Bissau ranks 16th of 128 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 97.0% 97.0% 97.0% 1
1970s 80.0% 80.0% 80.0% 1
2000s 58.6% 58.6% 58.6% 1
2010s 45.1% 45.1% 45.1% 1
2020s 36.1% 36.1% 36.1% 1

Countries ranked near Guinea-Bissau

  1. 13 Pakistan 41.1% compare
  2. 14 Ethiopia 39.5% compare
  3. 15 Mozambique 38.3% compare
  4. 17 Morocco 35.7% compare
  5. 18 Bhutan 35.1% compare
  6. 19 Haiti 32.0% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More population data for Guinea-Bissau

All data for Guinea-Bissau →

Frequently asked questions

What is literate and illiterate world population in Guinea-Bissau?
Literate and illiterate world population in Guinea-Bissau was 36.1% 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 Guinea-Bissau?
The highest recorded value was 97.0% in 1950.
What is the lowest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Guinea-Bissau?
The lowest recorded value was 36.1% in 2022.
How does Guinea-Bissau rank for literate and illiterate world population?
Guinea-Bissau ranks 16th out of 128 countries with data for 2022.
Where does this Guinea-Bissau 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 — 5 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.