The bar chart illustrates literacy rates by gender in seven regions in 2011.
Overall, the literacy rate of men and women in Central Asia and Eastern Europe does not differ significantly, while in the other regions, the gender gap is more apparent.
The regions with the highest literacy rates are Central Asia and Eastern Europe, where over 95% of both men and women were able to read and write. Similarly, in East Asia/Pacific and Latin America, both genders had high literacy rates but males slightly outnumber females. In contrast, in the other three regions Arab states, Sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia, lower literacy rates were recorded, accompanied by a noticeable gap between male and female literacy rates. Specifically, the literacy rate among males in Arab states is approximately 90%, whereas for females, it is only around 70%. In South and West Asia, it can be observed that over 70% of males are literate, whereas the literacy rate among females is much lower, at just over 50%. Sub-Saharan Africa recorded the lowest literacy rates, with less than 70% of men and around 55% of women could read and write.
In conclusion, regions with high literacy rates, such as Central Asia, Eastern Europe, East Asia, Latin America, tend to exhibit gender equality. On the other hand, in other areas with lower literacy rates, gender inequality is more prevalent.