Literacy Rate: Colombia

Analysis# Colombia Literacy Rate Colombia's literacy rate reached 95.34% in 2024, reflecting three decades of sustained educational progress. Since 1993, when the country recorded its lowest point at 91.06%, the literacy rate has climbed 4.7 percentage points. The nation peaked at 95.661% in 2021, just 0.32 points above the current level, indicating that Colombia has maintained near-maximum literacy achievement throughout the early 2020s. The most dramatic gains occurred between 1993 and 2015, with the rate jumping from 91.06% to 94.25%. The period from 2015 onward shows incremental annual improvements, with 2021 marking the highest achievement. A slight decline from 2021 to 2024 suggests Colombia's literacy rate has stabilized at the 95.3-95.4% range, approaching a natural ceiling as the country addresses harder-to-reach populations.