The countries with the lowest literacy rate, defined as the ability to read and write at a specified age….Lowest Literacy Rates.

Education is free through the ninth grade (up to age 14), but only 82% of children make it this far). 6% of Salvadoran children never attend any school. 33% of the children old enough for secondary school actually attend. The adult literacy is 79% for men and 73% for women.

87.23%

Our average literacy score of 270 (global literacy rate: 273) out of 500 puts U.S. adults at Level 2, or below-basic, literacy.

The adult literacy rate measures literacy among persons age 15 and older….Here are the 10 states with the highest literacy rates:

• New Hampshire (94.20%)
• Minnesota (94.00%)
• North Dakota (93.70%)
• Vermont (93.40%)
• South Dakota (93.00%)
• Nebraska (92.70%)
• Wisconsin (92.70%)
• Maine (92.60%)

As recently as 20 years ago, the United States was ranked No. 1 in high school and college education. Much of the boom in American education during the second half of the 20th century was fueled by the Montgomery G.I. In 2009, the United States was ranked 18th out of 36 industrialized nations.

New Jersey is the top state for education. It’s followed by Massachusetts, Florida, Washington and Colorado to round out the top five.

The 12 Most Educated Countries in the World

1. South Korea (69.8 percent)
2. Canada (63 percent)
3. Russia (62.1 percent)
4. Japan (61.5 percent)
5. Ireland (55.4 percent)
6. Lithuania (55.2 percent)
7. Luxembourg (55 percent)
8. Switzerland (52.7 percent)

Based on this list, the United Kingdom comes out on top as having the world’s best education system. In second place is the United States, about 70% of graduates go on to a higher education program. In third place is Canada, followed by Germany and France.

This Is the Smartest State in America, According to Data

• New Hampshire.
• New York. Average IQ score: 100.7.
• Virginia. Average IQ score: 101.9.
• Minnesota. Average IQ score: 103.7.
• Connecticut. Average IQ score: 103.1.
• Vermont. Average IQ score: 103.8.
• New Jersey. Average IQ score: 102.8.
• Massachusetts. Average IQ score: 104.3.

Overall, 88.61% of Americans over the age of 25 had graduated from high school in 2019, with the highest level found in the state of Wyoming at 94.55% and the lowest in the state of California at 84.03%. In Puerto Rico, the proportion was even lower, though, at 78.78%.

Main Findings