Top 10 African countries with the highest literacy rates in 2026

Nii Ayitey Brown 17:06 - 06 September 2026

According to World Population Review (WPR), literacy rate refers to the percentage of people aged 15 and above who can read and write with understanding a short, simple statement about their everyday life. It tells us how many adults out of every 100 are able to read and write at a basic level.

A girl holds a slate with the alphabet and numbers along a path in the Koluama village in Nigeria's Bayelsa state on May 15, 2012. | Akintunde Akinleye/REUTERS

If you take a literacy rate of 90%, it means that, out of every 100 adults aged 15 and above, about 90 can meet that basic reading and writing standard. World Population Review's 2026 literacy-rate ranking places countries from around the world according to their reported literacy rates.

Data for the ranking does not come from the same year for every country, some from 2023, 2024, 2010 and others from as far back as 2000.
Below are the 10 African countries with the highest reported literacy rates.

10. Equatorial Guinea – 88.31%

Equatorial Guinea ranks 10th among the African countries on the World Population Review list, with a literacy rate of 88.31%. Its reported figure is based on data from 2000. The literacy rate for the male population in the country is at 94.84%, while the female rate is 81.62%.

9. Cape Verde – 88.47%

Cape Verde takes ninth place with a literacy rate of 88.47%. World Population Review lists the country's data year as 2024. Its male literacy rate is 92.90%, compared with 84.12% for females.

8. Gabon – 88.86%

Gabon is eighth with a literacy rate of 88.86%. The figure, according to World Population Review, is based on 2021 data. Gabon's male literacy rate is 90.79%, while the female literacy rate is 87.07%.

7. Lesotho – 90.45%

Lesotho is seventh on the African list with a literacy rate of 90.45%. Its data year is 2024. World Population Review records a higher literacy rate among females at 96.63%, compared with 83.15% among males.

6. Eswatini – 90.75%

Eswatini ranks sixth, recording a literacy rate of 90.75%. The figure is based on 2022 data. The male literacy rate is 91.11%, while the female rate is 90.41%.

5. Libya – 91%

Libya occupies fifth place with a literacy rate of 91%. World Population Review gives 2015 as the data year. The reported male literacy rate is 96.70%, while the female rate is 85.60%.

4. South Africa – 91.15%

South Africa is fourth among African countries, with a literacy rate of 91.15%. The country's figure is based on 2024 data. World Population Review lists male literacy at 91.50% and female literacy at 90.83%.

3. Zimbabwe – 93.23%

Zimbabwe comes third with a literacy rate of 93.23%. The data year is from 2019. The country’s male literacy rate is 93.07%, while female literacy stands at 93.36%.

2. Seychelles – 93.95%

Seychelles takes second place with a literacy rate of 93.95%. The figure is based on 2010 data. World Population Review reports male literacy at 93.46% and female literacy at 94.45%.

1. Mauritius – 94.33%

Mauritius has the highest literacy rate among African countries on the World Population Review ranking, at 94.33%. The figure is based on 2023 data. Mauritius records a male literacy rate of 96.30% and a female literacy rate of 92.84%.

Africa