Global Literacy

This past week, the world celebrated World Read Aloud Day and International Women's Day. My son brought home a list of global literacy statistics that seemed to fit with both days. It is not surprising to know that reading improves, and sometimes, saves lives.

• According to the latest data (2009), 793 million adults – two thirds of them women – lack basic reading and writing skills. Included in this statistic are 127 million youth aged 15-24. (UNESCO)

• Since 1985, the female adult literacy rate has risen 15%, which is about double the growth of the male literacy rate in the same time period. (UNESCO)

• On tests involving 4,500 to 10,000 students in 43 countries, half of the girls said they read for at least thirty minutes a day, compared with less than one-third of the boys. (UNESCO)

• In sub-Saharan Africa, girls have less than a 50% chance of finishing primary school. In some Asian countries, girls also struggle: 41% of girls in Pakistan and 30% in India fail to finish primary school. (results.org)

• A majority of youth in American public schools cannot read or do math at grade level in the 4th, 8th or 12th grades. (“The State of America’s Children 2011,” a report by the Children’s Defense Fund)

• A child born to a mother who can read is 50 percent more likely to survive past the age of 5 than a child born to an illiterate woman. (UNESCO)

UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

© LitWorld, 2012