South Korea vs Spain: Adult literacy

Adult literacy: 98% in South Korea in 2008 and 99.7% in Spain in 2021, by UNESCO estimates. In 2008 the value was higher in South Korea, by 0.3 percentage points, or 1 times that in Spain.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

South KoreaSpainWorld

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2008.
The world as a whole: 83.5% in 2008.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	South Korea	Spain	World
2024	–	–	87.7
2023	–	–	87.6
2022	–	–	87.4
2021	–	99.7	87.2
2020	–	98.6	87
2019	–	–	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	–	97.8	84.7
2010	–	97.8	84.4
2009	–	97.7	83.8
2008	98	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	–	–	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	–	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

South Korea vs Spain: Adult literacy

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

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