List of African countries by by literacy rate, as included in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Report 2011


Equatorial Guinea93.3 

Zimbabwe 91.9

Seychelles 91.8

Namibia 88.5

South Africa 88.0

Mauritius 87.9

Gabon 87.7

Kenya 87.0

Swaziland 86.9

Cape Verde 84.8

Republic of the Congo 81.1   

Tunisia  77.7

Comoros 74.2

Malawi 73.7

Uganda  73.3

Tanzania 72.9 

NIGERIA 72.0(chei we imagine the percentage without the North much higher)

Zambia 70.9

Madagascar 70.7

Rwanda 70.7

Sudan 70.2

Angola 70.0

Cameroon 67.9

Democratic Republic of the Congo 66.8

Eritrea 66.6

GHANA 66.6

Burundi 66.6

Egypt  66.4 

Papua New Guinea 60.1

Mauritania    57.5

Morocco     56.1       

Côte d'Ivoire      55.3

Central African Republic  55.2

Mozambique       55.1

Togo                   53.2

Guinea-Bissau      52.2

Senegal   49.7


Gambia   46.5 


Benin =      41.7


Sierra Leone 40.9


Guinea 39.5


Ethiopia 35.9


Chad  33.6


Burkina Faso  28.7


Niger  28.7


South Sudan 27.0


Mali 26.2


Somalia 24.0

I'm not surprised. Well atleast the literacy rate has improved. It used to be in the sixties.

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The Republic of Congo should not surprise you on that list.

Despite their late start they attacked education with vigour in the 1970's. Almost everyone in the Angolan ruling class studied in old Zaire due to its better quality of education. Almost all of ma Angolan friends claim their dad or mum studied in Zaire.

Conversely, I am not surprised at the low level of literacy amongst Ghanians. Contrary to widely held views, rarely do you meet a Ghanaian with good spoken English.

I am surprised at the low level of literacy amongst Sierra Leonians - for so long a bastion of education in West Africa. Our grandfathers used to go to school in Sierra Leone, including the forefather of Nigerian education - Bishop Ajayi Crowther. It is also surprising given that Sierra Leoneans are the only other country who I know as "sharp guys" beside Nigeria. Sierra Leoneans have a stranglehold on many sectors of the Gambian economy for example and are known to flourish anywhere just like Nigerians,

Having been to Cape Verde, I would hold their level of literacy as amongst the best in Africa, however it is not a country where education is valued. Rarely do they pursue education past the basic level. . . . they'd rather concern themselves with funana! 

Sierraleone had a very violent civil war that just ended few years ago

most of the Ugandans I have met cldnt speak good english