10 Countries with High Literacy Rate in the World

Every country puts a lot of attention to the education sector for, no one can deny the importance of a high literacy rate behind a good overall performance of the nation. Countries which are considered to be developed boasts a high literacy rate. If more and more citizens of a country are literate, the country can cope with the fast-changing world, ever developing the technology. There are countries with high literacy rate and there are countries who spend a good portion of their GDP or the Gross Domestic Product. Check out this list to find which are the countries with the highest literacy rate in the world, based on data collected between 2010-2011.

1. Russia: The country with the highest literacy rate in Russia with almost 53% of the population has tertiary education. It is estimated that 95% of adults in Russia have higher secondary education and the country spends some 4.9% of GDP on education.

2. Canada: With an education expenditure of some 6.6% of GDP, Canada has the highest proportion of career and skill-based education. The country boasts an overall 51.3% of literacy rate in the population with tertiary education.

3. Japan: Although the country spends a small portion of the GDP on education, nearly 5% of it, Japan has 46% of the population with tertiary education.

4. Israel: Israel spends some 7.5% of the GDP on education and boasts a literacy rate of 46%. Men and women in Israel, in the age group of 18 to 21 and 18 to 20 respectively are required to join the military.

5. United States of America: With a literacy rate of 43%, United States stands 5th in the list. Education expenditure of the country is some 7% of GDP, with an annual growth rate of 1.4% for 2000-2011.

6. South Korea: South Koreans have a good record of placement after receiving education. The country has a literacy rate of 40% with an education expenditure of 8% of GDP.

7. New Zealand: It is estimated that more than 15% of the adult population of New Zealand receives some kind of college education. This small nation spends 7% of its GDP on education and has a literacy rate of 39%.

8. United Kingdom: 40% of the population in United Kingdom have tertiary education, which are mostly funded by private sources, as estimated in the year 2010. The country spends 7% of the GDP on education.

9. Finland: The education system in the country is said to be very effective as measured from the performance of secondary students. Finland spends some 7% of the GDP on education that goes beyond secondary school. 39% of the population in Finland has tertiary education.

10. Australia: The country has always been a hotspot for international students and they constitute almost 25% of the population of Australia, as measured during the year 2009. 38% of the population has tertiary education in Australia which spends some 6% of the GDP on education.