Literacy Rate: Puerto Rico

Analysis# Puerto Rico Literacy Rate Puerto Rico's literacy rate reached 92.39% in 2017, matching its all-time peak and representing substantial progress over the past four decades. The rate has climbed 6.5 percentage points since 1980, when it stood at 86.75%, demonstrating consistent improvement across the 37-year period. The current figure positions Puerto Rico among regions with strong educational attainment, though room for advancement remains to reach near-universal literacy. The most significant gains occurred between 1980 and 1990, when the literacy rate jumped 2.87 percentage points to 89.62%. Growth then moderated but remained steady through 2010 (91.97%) and into 2017. The decelerating pace of improvement in recent years suggests Puerto Rico may be approaching a saturation point, where further gains require targeted interventions addressing remaining barriers rather than broad systemic expansion.