These bar graphs illustrate approximate world illiteracy ratio by region and gender during the noughties.
It is apparent that, in all regions, the level of illiteracy peaks among women, whereas it is lowest among men. In developed countries illiteracy rate was minimal, accounting for 1% for both males and for females showing the smallest proportion. Latin America and Caribbean also have low illiteracy figures, accounting for approximately 10% of males and around 12% of females. In East Asia and Oceania the situation increased slightly, illiteracy among men accounting 8%, while among women the figure was almost twice as high
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the rate of male illiteracy sharply rose to 30%, whereas the proportion of illiterate females increased even further by 3%. The same trend was observed in the Arab States, the proportion reached roughly 28% for men, whereas the number of women were higher and accounted for 52%. South Africa showed the highest illiteracy rates. Female illiteracy gradually increased and reached about 55%, while the figure of males was lower accounting for 48%.