A new section on troubleshooting was added to the guide to integrating Stata and external text editors. The guide describes a set of programs that can be used to run Stata commands from an external text editor. The installation of these programs is straightforward and users should not encounter any problems if the installation instructions are followed exactly. In case the programs do not work, the new section offers simple steps to track down the source of the problem. The guide to reading Statalist with Gmail was also updated to include information on a new "fixed width font" feature of Gmail.
Friedrich Huebler, 22 June 2008, Creative Commons License
Permanent URL: http://huebler.blogspot.com/2008/06/stata-guides.html
22 June 2008
15 June 2008
Adult literacy in 2007
The release of new literacy data by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) in May 2008 provides an opportunity to update an article on adult literacy rates that was published on this site in July 2007. The adult literacy rate is the share of literate persons in the population aged 15 years and older. Compared to the previous analysis, literacy data for more countries and for more recent years is available. An article on literacy data from the UIS provides additional information on the latest UIS database.
Before the update of May, the UIS database contained adult literacy rates for 136 countries and territories. For 10 countries, the most recent data was from 2005, for 30 countries from 2004, and for 5 countries from 2003. The remaining countries had data from 2002 or earlier years.
The UIS Data Centre now offers the adult literacy rate for 145 countries and territories. For 115 countries, data from 2007 is available. The map below displays the adult literacy rate for all countries with data.
Adult literacy rates by country, 2007
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Data Centre, May 2008
The unweighted mean of the adult literacy rate is 81.2 percent. In 71 countries - including most of Eastern Europe, East and Southeast Asia, and Latin America - 90 percent or more of the adult population can read and write. The highest adult literacy rate, 99.8 percent, is reported for Cuba, Estonia and Latvia. Most countries without data are in the group of industrialized countries, where literacy rates are also likely to be above 90 percent. In 23 countries, the adult literacy rate is between 80 and 90 percent.
At the other extreme are eight countries with literacy rates below 40 percent: Mali (23.3), Chad (25.7), Afghanistan (28.0), Burkina Faso (28.7), Guinea (29.5), Niger (30.4), Ethiopia (35.9), and Sierra Leone (38.1). Another 16 countries have literacy rates between 40 and 60 percent: Benin (40.5), Senegal (42.6), Mozambique (44.4), Central African Republic (48.6), Cote d'Ivoire (48.7), Togo (53.2), Bangladesh (53.5), Pakistan (54.9), Liberia (55.5), Morocco (55.6), Bhutan (55.6), Mauritania (55.8), Nepal (56.5), Papua New Guinea (57.8), Yemen (58.9), and Burundi (59.3). Almost all of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Finally, the world's two largest countries in terms of population have very different literacy rates. In China, the adult literacy rate is 93.3 percent. In India, only 66 percent of the adult population can read and write.
The complete dataset with adult and youth literacy rates is available at the UIS Data Centre.
Related articles
Friedrich Huebler, 15 June 2008, Creative Commons License
Permanent URL: http://huebler.blogspot.com/2008/06/adult-literacy.html
Before the update of May, the UIS database contained adult literacy rates for 136 countries and territories. For 10 countries, the most recent data was from 2005, for 30 countries from 2004, and for 5 countries from 2003. The remaining countries had data from 2002 or earlier years.
The UIS Data Centre now offers the adult literacy rate for 145 countries and territories. For 115 countries, data from 2007 is available. The map below displays the adult literacy rate for all countries with data.
Adult literacy rates by country, 2007
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Data Centre, May 2008
The unweighted mean of the adult literacy rate is 81.2 percent. In 71 countries - including most of Eastern Europe, East and Southeast Asia, and Latin America - 90 percent or more of the adult population can read and write. The highest adult literacy rate, 99.8 percent, is reported for Cuba, Estonia and Latvia. Most countries without data are in the group of industrialized countries, where literacy rates are also likely to be above 90 percent. In 23 countries, the adult literacy rate is between 80 and 90 percent.
At the other extreme are eight countries with literacy rates below 40 percent: Mali (23.3), Chad (25.7), Afghanistan (28.0), Burkina Faso (28.7), Guinea (29.5), Niger (30.4), Ethiopia (35.9), and Sierra Leone (38.1). Another 16 countries have literacy rates between 40 and 60 percent: Benin (40.5), Senegal (42.6), Mozambique (44.4), Central African Republic (48.6), Cote d'Ivoire (48.7), Togo (53.2), Bangladesh (53.5), Pakistan (54.9), Liberia (55.5), Morocco (55.6), Bhutan (55.6), Mauritania (55.8), Nepal (56.5), Papua New Guinea (57.8), Yemen (58.9), and Burundi (59.3). Almost all of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Finally, the world's two largest countries in terms of population have very different literacy rates. In China, the adult literacy rate is 93.3 percent. In India, only 66 percent of the adult population can read and write.
The complete dataset with adult and youth literacy rates is available at the UIS Data Centre.
Related articles
- Literacy data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics
- UNESCO releases data from 2007 education survey
- Adult literacy rates (article of July 2007)
- Youth literacy rates (article of July 2007)
- Disparity between adult and youth literacy
- Disparity between male and female literacy rates
- Adult literacy in Sub-Saharan Africa
Friedrich Huebler, 15 June 2008, Creative Commons License
Permanent URL: http://huebler.blogspot.com/2008/06/adult-literacy.html
01 June 2008
Literacy data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics
In May 2008, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) added new literacy data for many countries to its database at the UIS Data Centre. In total, 208 countries and territories are covered by the database. The adult literacy rate - the share of the population aged 15 years and above that can read and write - is available for 145 countries. For 115 countries, the most recent literacy data is from 2007. Historical data is also provided, going back as far as 1975, to allow the analysis of national trends in literacy.
The previous UIS database from 2007 listed the adult literacy rates for 136 countries and territories for years between 1985 and 2005. For 10 countries, the most recent data was from 2005, for 30 countries from 2004, and for 5 countries from 2003.
The graph below describes the availability of data on adult literacy in the UIS database as of late May 2008.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Data Centre, May 2008
Related articles
Friedrich Huebler, 1 June 2008, Creative Commons License
Permanent URL: http://huebler.blogspot.com/2008/06/uis-literacy.html
The previous UIS database from 2007 listed the adult literacy rates for 136 countries and territories for years between 1985 and 2005. For 10 countries, the most recent data was from 2005, for 30 countries from 2004, and for 5 countries from 2003.
The graph below describes the availability of data on adult literacy in the UIS database as of late May 2008.
- The blue bars indicate the number of countries with data on adult literacy per year between 1975 and 2007. For each country, the adult literacy rate may be available in more than one year. The number of countries with data from a particular year is shown at the bottom of the bars, along the horizontal axis. For example, 115 countries have literacy data from 2007 and 36 countries have data from 2000.
- The brown bars show the number of countries with adult literacy rates from the current year or the previous 4 years. For example, the bar for the year 2007 indicates that 117 countries have literacy data from any year between 2003 and 2007.
- The beige bars show the cumulative number of countries with literacy data from any year since 1975. For example, in 2007, the adult literacy rate is available for a total of 145 countries and territories. The difference between the beige and brown bars in 2007 is the number of countries with the most recent literacy data from a year before 2003. The difference between the beige and blue bars in 2007 is the number of countries with the most recent data from a year before 2007.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Data Centre, May 2008
Related articles
- UNESCO releases data from 2007 education survey
- Adult literacy rates
- Youth literacy rates
- Disparity between adult and youth literacy
- Disparity between male and female literacy rates
- Adult literacy in Sub-Saharan Africa
Friedrich Huebler, 1 June 2008, Creative Commons License
Permanent URL: http://huebler.blogspot.com/2008/06/uis-literacy.html
18 May 2008
UNESCO releases data from 2007 education survey
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) has released the data from its latest survey of international education indicators, conducted in 2007. The UIS Data Centre offers annual data for 208 countries and territories from the years 1999 to 2007. The previous survey had data for 207 countries and territories but starting in 2008, Serbia and Montenegro are listed separately, after both countries had declared their independence in 2006.
The graph below presents the distribution of the latest UIS data for two official Millennium Development Goal indicators, the primary school net enrollment rate (NER) and the survival rate to the last grade of primary school.
The primary NER is available for 178 countries. In 121 countries, the latest data is from 2006. For 10 countries - Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Marshall Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, South Korea, and Vanuatu - the primary NER in 2007 is available.
The survival rate to the last grade of primary school is available for 157 countries. To calculate this indicator, data from two consecutive years is needed. For this reason, the latest available data for 88 of the 157 countries is from 2005. For 6 countries - Egypt, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Sao Tome and Principe, South Korea, and Tanzania - the survival rate for 2006 is provided in the UIS database.
Distribution of latest national data from UIS education survey 2007
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Data Centre, May 2008
Related articles
Permanent URL: http://huebler.blogspot.com/2008/05/uis.html
The graph below presents the distribution of the latest UIS data for two official Millennium Development Goal indicators, the primary school net enrollment rate (NER) and the survival rate to the last grade of primary school.
The primary NER is available for 178 countries. In 121 countries, the latest data is from 2006. For 10 countries - Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Marshall Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, South Korea, and Vanuatu - the primary NER in 2007 is available.
The survival rate to the last grade of primary school is available for 157 countries. To calculate this indicator, data from two consecutive years is needed. For this reason, the latest available data for 88 of the 157 countries is from 2005. For 6 countries - Egypt, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Sao Tome and Principe, South Korea, and Tanzania - the survival rate for 2006 is provided in the UIS database.
Distribution of latest national data from UIS education survey 2007
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Data Centre, May 2008
Related articles
- UNESCO releases data from 2006 education survey
- Final release of data from UNESCO's 2005 education survey
- Pupil/teacher ratio in primary school
- Global Education Digest 2007
- Global Education Digest 2006
- Global Education Digest 2005
- UIS announcement of data from 2007 education survey
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
- UIS Data Centre
- UN Millennium Development Goals
Permanent URL: http://huebler.blogspot.com/2008/05/uis.html
10 May 2008
Adult literacy in sub-Saharan Africa
Literacy data published by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) in 2007 shows that the lowest adult literacy rates are observed in Africa and South Asia. In some countries, fewer than three out of ten adults can read and write. UIS provides national literacy data for two age groups: youths aged 15 to 24 years, and adults aged 15 years and older. A more detailed analysis of literacy is possible with data from household surveys.
Most Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) collect data on literacy for persons between 15 and 49 years. For male household members, literacy data is sometimes collected up to an age of 54, 59, or 64 years. To assess the degree of literacy, respondents to the survey are asked to read a card with a simple sentence. If a respondent can read the whole sentence, he or she is counted as literate, in accordance with UNESCO's definition of literacy as "the ability to read and write, with understanding, a short simple sentence about one’s everyday life". Recent Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) by UNICEF collect data on literacy with the same method, but only for female household members between 15 and 49 years. MICS surveys are therefore not covered by the analysis that follows.
This article examines data from eight DHS surveys that were carried out in sub-Saharan Africa between 2003 and 2006. The survey data is from Benin (2006), Burkina Faso (2003), Cameroon (2004), Lesotho (2004-05), Niger (2006), Nigeria (2003), Uganda (2006), and Zimbabwe (2005-06). The data can be used to calculate overall literacy rates and also to examine trends over time by comparing literacy rates in different age groups.
The following table lists literacy rates for the male, female, and total population between 15 and 49 years of age. Zimbabwe (85%) and Lesotho (79%) are the countries with the highest literacy rates, followed by Cameroon (63%), Uganda (58%), and Nigeria (55%). In Benin (33%), Burkina Faso (18%), and Niger (13%), adult literacy rates are much lower. In seven of the eight countries there is a large difference between male and female literacy rates. In Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, and Uganda, more men than women are literate, with a gender gap ranging from 12% to 26%. In Lesotho, the literacy rate of women is 21% greater than the literacy rate of men. In Zimbabwe, the difference between the male and female literacy rate is only 6%.
Adult literacy rate (%), population 15-49 years
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys 2003-2006
For the graph below, the survey respondents were divided into five-year age groups. In all countries, literacy rates among the younger population are higher than among the older population. The literacy rate of the youngest group, 15 to 19 years, can be interpreted as a measure of the coverage and quality of the primary school system during the 1990s, when the members of this age group were of primary school age.
In Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Lesotho, Niger, and Uganda, the difference between the literacy rates of 15- to 19-year-olds and 45- to 49-year-olds ranges from 13% to 18%. These numbers indicate a relatively modest expansion of the education system between the 1960s, when the older age group was of primary school age, and the 1990s. In contrast, in Benin, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe, the difference between the literacy rates of 15- to 19-year-olds and 45- to 49-year-olds ranges from 27% to 32%. These three countries were thus more successful in their efforts to increase the number of literate citizens than the other five countries.
In Burkina Faso and Niger, less than one quarter of the population between 15 and 19 years can read and write. However, the case of Benin shows that a large increase in literacy can be achieved within only ten years. In Benin, only 24% of 25- to 29-year-olds are literate but among 15- to 19-years-olds the literacy rate has grown to 53%.
Adult literacy by five-year age group
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys 2003-2006
Related articles
Permanent URL: http://huebler.blogspot.com/2008/05/literacy.html
Most Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) collect data on literacy for persons between 15 and 49 years. For male household members, literacy data is sometimes collected up to an age of 54, 59, or 64 years. To assess the degree of literacy, respondents to the survey are asked to read a card with a simple sentence. If a respondent can read the whole sentence, he or she is counted as literate, in accordance with UNESCO's definition of literacy as "the ability to read and write, with understanding, a short simple sentence about one’s everyday life". Recent Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) by UNICEF collect data on literacy with the same method, but only for female household members between 15 and 49 years. MICS surveys are therefore not covered by the analysis that follows.
This article examines data from eight DHS surveys that were carried out in sub-Saharan Africa between 2003 and 2006. The survey data is from Benin (2006), Burkina Faso (2003), Cameroon (2004), Lesotho (2004-05), Niger (2006), Nigeria (2003), Uganda (2006), and Zimbabwe (2005-06). The data can be used to calculate overall literacy rates and also to examine trends over time by comparing literacy rates in different age groups.
The following table lists literacy rates for the male, female, and total population between 15 and 49 years of age. Zimbabwe (85%) and Lesotho (79%) are the countries with the highest literacy rates, followed by Cameroon (63%), Uganda (58%), and Nigeria (55%). In Benin (33%), Burkina Faso (18%), and Niger (13%), adult literacy rates are much lower. In seven of the eight countries there is a large difference between male and female literacy rates. In Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, and Uganda, more men than women are literate, with a gender gap ranging from 12% to 26%. In Lesotho, the literacy rate of women is 21% greater than the literacy rate of men. In Zimbabwe, the difference between the male and female literacy rate is only 6%.
Adult literacy rate (%), population 15-49 years
| Country | Male | Female | Total |
| Benin | 45.1 | 21.8 | 32.6 |
| Burkina Faso | 24.3 | 11.9 | 17.6 |
| Cameroon | 70.6 | 54.8 | 62.5 |
| Lesotho | 68.8 | 90.1 | 79.4 |
| Niger | 20.9 | 7.5 | 13.2 |
| Nigeria | 68.4 | 42.8 | 54.9 |
| Uganda | 68.6 | 48.9 | 58.4 |
| Zimbabwe | 87.9 | 81.5 | 84.5 |
For the graph below, the survey respondents were divided into five-year age groups. In all countries, literacy rates among the younger population are higher than among the older population. The literacy rate of the youngest group, 15 to 19 years, can be interpreted as a measure of the coverage and quality of the primary school system during the 1990s, when the members of this age group were of primary school age.
In Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Lesotho, Niger, and Uganda, the difference between the literacy rates of 15- to 19-year-olds and 45- to 49-year-olds ranges from 13% to 18%. These numbers indicate a relatively modest expansion of the education system between the 1960s, when the older age group was of primary school age, and the 1990s. In contrast, in Benin, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe, the difference between the literacy rates of 15- to 19-year-olds and 45- to 49-year-olds ranges from 27% to 32%. These three countries were thus more successful in their efforts to increase the number of literate citizens than the other five countries.
In Burkina Faso and Niger, less than one quarter of the population between 15 and 19 years can read and write. However, the case of Benin shows that a large increase in literacy can be achieved within only ten years. In Benin, only 24% of 25- to 29-year-olds are literate but among 15- to 19-years-olds the literacy rate has grown to 53%.
Adult literacy by five-year age group
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys 2003-2006
Related articles
- Educational attainment in sub-Saharan Africa
- Adult literacy rates
- Youth literacy rates
- Disparity between adult and youth literacy
- Disparity between male and female literacy rates
- Years of schooling and literacy: Can everyone with primary education read and write?
- Years of schooling and literacy, part 2
- Adult literacy in Nigeria
- Self-reported and tested literacy in Nigeria
External links
- Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)
- Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS)
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
Permanent URL: http://huebler.blogspot.com/2008/05/literacy.html
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