Society · Adult literacy rate · Guinea
Guinea’s adult literacy rate was 39.6% of adults in 2018.
39.6% of adults
2018
Up 7.6 pp from 2014.
Stale — last updated 18 Oct 2026
In plain words
39.6% of adults
What it is. The adult literacy rate is the share of adults who can read and write a short, simple statement about everyday life. The test sets a basic bar, so it records whether someone can handle simple written text and leaves out stronger skills such as following a long document or a technical manual. Because it covers all adults above school age, older generations count alongside recent school leavers, and the rate moves gradually as younger readers replace older cohorts.
Higher is better. Higher is better because every adult who can read and write can use written instructions, forms, contracts and information that others would otherwise have to explain. The latest figure for Guinea is 39.6% of adults, recorded in 2018. That is the highest level since 1996 and the top of its range over that span. The low point in the same span was 20.5% of adults in 1996, so the long-run direction has been clearly upward.
Why it matters. A large share of adults in Guinea depend on others to read medicine labels, school reports, loan terms or rental agreements. Employers have a smaller pool of workers who can follow written safety rules or keep records. The state relies heavily on radio, images and spoken messages to reach citizens with public information.
| Period | Adult literacy rate · Guinea |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 20.5% of adults |
| 2003 | 29.7% of adults |
| 2010 | 25.3% of adults |
| 2014 | 32% of adults |
| 2018 | 39.6% of adults |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Adult literacy rate, Guinea, 2018; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 18 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/society/adult-literacy/guinea
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
What this means
Working this out from the published figures…
Strata AI commentary is coming — reviewed, dated, and generated only from the figures on this page.
Methodology
People aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about everyday life, as a share of that age group. Unit: % of adults. Literacy is measured in surveys and censuses, so new figures arrive every few years.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series SE.ADT.LITR.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.