Least Developed
Countries
31.9 46.3 51.4 60.8 13.0 23.4 27.9 37.3 22.5 34.8 39.6 490
Source: UNESCO World Education Report 1991:97
Literacy rates are highest in Latin America, the Caribbean and East Asia, and lowest in Sub
Saharan Africa, the Arab States and Southern Asia. Improvements in the latter group appear
to have been slowest in Southern Asia. Gender disparities remain striking in all regions
except Latin America and the Caribbean. The literacy gap between men and women (the
differences in the proportion literate) appears to have remained the same or reduced in all
regions except Sub-Saharan Africa. In 1990 UNESCO estimates that there were 920 million
illiterates in the developing world compared to 840 million in 1970. The absolute number of
illiterates has increased significantly in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab States, and Southern
Asia over this period, though they represent a diminishing proportion of the total population.
Wagner (1990) argues that if current trends continue illiteracy is likely to continue to
diminish. UNESCO projections anticipate that overall literacy rates will improve from 65%
to 72% in developing countries between 1990 and 2000. Southern Asia will remain with the
lowest average (54%), marginally above that projected for the least developed countries
(49%). Though in some areas literacy rates may decline as a result of the dislocations of war
or economic collapse there is no evidence that this is likely to be a general trend.
2.7.1 Definitional issues
The recent World Conference on Education for All called for reductions in the adult literacy
levels to one half of the existing values. UNESCO's definition of functional literacy is that
"A person is functionally literate who can engage in all those activities in
which literacy is required for effective functioning of his (sic) group and
community and also for enabling him to continue to use reading, writing and
calculation for his own and the community's development".
There remain problems in translating this and similar definitions into practice. Two principal
methods have been advocated: self assessment (e.g. through census questions) and the use of
standardised literacy tests. Indirect self assessment methods carry a high risk of error and over
reporting, particularly when carried out using untrained interviewers. In many surveys the
ability to read aloud from newspapers is used as a criterion though this may not indicate
comprehension. Others use the ability of the respondent to write their names as the criteria.
Some assessments include basic numeracy as an integral part, but practice on this is
inconsistent. At the most unreliable level respondents are asked "Can you read and write?
with no capability to test the veracity of the response or differentiate levels of facility.