Literate and illiterate world population in Serbia

Serbia: Literate and illiterate world population was 0.7% in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
0.7%
Change on year
up 26.9%
World rank
120th
of 128 countries
All-time high
3.6%
in 2003
All-time low
0.5%
in 2019
Years of data
5
2003–2022

Literate and illiterate world population in Serbia, 2003–2022

12342003201220222003: 3.6 %2011: 2 %2016: 1.2 %2019: 0.52 %2022: 0.66 %

Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Serbia recorded 0.7% for literate and illiterate world population in 2022.

That represents a change of up 26.9% on the previous year and down 67.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literate and illiterate world population in Serbia peaked at 3.6% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2019.

Serbia ranks 120th of 128 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Literate and illiterate world population in Serbia, year by year

Annual values for Literate and illiterate world population in Serbia, 2003 to 2022.
Year % Change
2003 3.6%
2011 2.0% -43.3%
2016 1.2% -43.1%
2019 0.5% -55.2%
2022 0.7% +26.9%

Serbia compared with similar countries

  • Serbia's 0.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.6%, 14% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
  • Serbia's 0.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.5%, 44% of the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3.6% 3.6% 3.6% 1
2010s 1.2% 0.5% 2.0% 3
2020s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1

Countries ranked near Serbia

  1. 117 Argentina 0.9% compare
  2. 118 Romania 0.8% compare
  3. 119 Qatar 0.7% compare
  4. 121 Italy 0.7% compare
  5. 122 Tonga 0.5% compare
  6. 123 Georgia 0.3% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More population data for Serbia

All data for Serbia →

Frequently asked questions

What is literate and illiterate world population in Serbia?
Literate and illiterate world population in Serbia was 0.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Serbia?
The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 2003.
What is the lowest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Serbia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2019.
How does Serbia rank for literate and illiterate world population?
Serbia ranks 120th out of 128 countries with data for 2022.
Is literate and illiterate world population rising or falling in Serbia?
Over the last ten years it is down 67.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Serbia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literate and illiterate world population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literate and illiterate world population in Serbia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/literate-and-illiterate-world-population/serbia/

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About this data

Indicator
Literate and illiterate world population
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,272 data points, 1475–2024
Last refreshed

Share of adults who cannot read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.