Today...
in 2020...
over 1 in 10 adults remain illiterate...
14% of adults lack basic literacy skills.
That equals 750 million adults...
who cannot break the cycle of poverty into which they were born.
It’s a global problem but affects some regions more profoundly than others.
Adult illiteracy rates by region at age 15+
East Asia and Pacific 3%
Latin America & Caribbean 5%
South Asia 26%
Sub-Saharan Africa 35%
West & Central Africa 40%
African sub region – East Africa 28%
African sub region – Western Africa 41%
If we don't take action now...
things are likely to get worse.
UNESCO predicts that less than 70% of adults are projected to have basic literacy skills by 2030.
Many are already facing barriers to gaining access to education because of their, race, gender, class, poverty, digital access and geography.
And COVID-19 is making access to quality education even harder...
affecting those the worst that have little to start with...
which contributes to a cycle of poverty that is even harder to break.
We believe in quality education for every person, everywhere.
By highlighting the issue...
and speaking to experts about ways we can all be part of the solution.
By providing free access to research for those in developing countries through our partnership with research 4 life.
By inviting authors to contribute on this topic and making this content open access for all.
By aligning all our content to the United Nations SDGs.
We’re looking for authors to publish on this topic, if this is you, get in touch. [email protected].
Emerald Publishing – together we make a real impact