Literacy rates

Literacy rates represent the percentage of the adult population that can functionally read text in the native language. Global literacy rates vary -- with the mean world literacy average being 83 percent. China, the world’s most populous country, has a literacy rate of about 96 percent. By comparison, Russia claims a 99 percent rate, Brazil’s rate is 92 percent, the United States at 86 percent, and India’s at 72 percent.