Italy vs Spain: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 99.4% in Italy in 2019 and 99.7% in Spain in 2021, by UNESCO estimates. In 2011 the value was higher in Italy, by 1.1 percentage points, or 1.01 times that in Spain.
ItalySpain
Watch it change on the map% of adults · UNESCO · log scale
Latest figures
% of adults · UNESCO
| Country | Latest | 10 years before |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | 99.4 2019 | — |
| Spain | 99.7 2021 | 97.8 |
| World | 87.7 2024 | 85.6 |
What the numbers say
- Italy has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1981.
- The world as a whole: 84.7% in 2011.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Italy | Spain | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | – | 99.7 | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | 98.6 | 87 |
| 2019 | 99.4 | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | 98.4 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | – | 98.3 | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | 98.1 | 86 |
| 2014 | – | 98.1 | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | 98.1 | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | 97.9 | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 98.9 | 97.8 | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | 97.8 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | 97.7 | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | 97.6 | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | 97.9 | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | 97.8 | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | 97.8 | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | 97.2 | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | 98.4 | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | 96.5 | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | 96.5 | 92.8 | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time