Literate and illiterate world population in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico: Literate and illiterate world population was 7.6% in 2017. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2017)
7.6%
World rank
60th
of 128 countries
All-time high
27.5%
in 1950
All-time low
7.6%
in 2017
Years of data
5
1950–2017

Literate and illiterate world population in Puerto Rico, 1950–2017

10152025301950198320171950: 27.5 %1980: 13.2 %1990: 10.4 %2010: 8 %2017: 7.6 %

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

Analysis

Puerto Rico recorded 7.6% for literate and illiterate world population in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

That represents a change of down 5.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literate and illiterate world population in Puerto Rico peaked at 27.5% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 7.6%, in 2017.

That places Puerto Rico 60th out of 128 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 27.5% 27.5% 27.5% 1
1980s 13.2% 13.2% 13.2% 1
1990s 10.4% 10.4% 10.4% 1
2010s 7.8% 7.6% 8.0% 2

Countries ranked near Puerto Rico

  1. 57 Thailand 8.9% compare
  2. 58 South Africa 8.8% compare
  3. 59 Lebanon 8.0% compare
  4. 61 Sri Lanka 7.3% compare
  5. 62 Suriname 7.1% compare
  6. 63 Malta 6.7% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More population data for Puerto Rico

All data for Puerto Rico →

Frequently asked questions

What is literate and illiterate world population in Puerto Rico?
Literate and illiterate world population in Puerto Rico was 7.6% in 2017, 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 Puerto Rico?
The highest recorded value was 27.5% in 1950.
What is the lowest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Puerto Rico?
The lowest recorded value was 7.6% in 2017.
How does Puerto Rico rank for literate and illiterate world population?
Puerto Rico ranks 60th out of 128 countries with data for 2017.
Is literate and illiterate world population rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Puerto Rico 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.

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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.