The rate of literacy refers to the ability of a country’s population to sufficiently read and write.

SOURCE: STEP FEED

BY: MALIK AL ASH-SHAYK

More than 774 million people (age 15 and over) around the world can’t read or write, according to the Global Campaign for Education. Over the past few decades, however, literacy rates around the world have significantly increased.

The main reasons behind this upward trend stem from the evolution of the educational system in many developing countries and an increased acknowledgment of the importance of education to these societies.

Universally, the rate of literacy refers to the ability of a country’s population to sufficiently read and write. Numerous factors, such as accessibility and quality of education, can contribute to these rates.

Using data from a 2015 UNESCO report to mark the UN’s International Literacy Day – celebrated annually on September 8 – we ranked Arab countries based on literacy rates (highest to lowest).

Let’s take a look below: