Definition of literacy Literacy

/lɪˈtɚʌsi/ - [literusee] - lit•er•a•cy

We found 6 definitions of literacy from 5 different sources.

What does literacy mean?

Noun Plural: literacies
literacy - the ability to read and write
		analphabetism, illiteracy an inability to read
		acquirement, accomplishment, skill, attainment, acquisition the action of accomplishing something

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Literacy means the ability to read and write. Being able to read and write is an important skill in modern societies. Usually, people learn how to read and write at school. People who can read and write are called "literate"; those who cannot are called "illiterate".

According to the United Nations, illiteracy is not being able to write or read a simple sentence in any language. The UN estimated, that in 1998, about 16% of the world's population were illiterate.

Illiteracy is highest amongst the states of the Arab peninsula, and in Africa, around the Sahara. In those countries about 30% of men, and 40-50% of women are illiterate, by the UN definition. One of the causes of illiteracy is that someone who can manage to live without being able to read and write often does not have any reason to want to learn to read and write. Cultural factors also play a part, such as having a culture in which the oral tradition (communicating by speaking) is more important than writing. A tribe that mostly herds livestock, for example, may have no need to read or write.

In most other countries, the main problem is functional illiteracy. Functional illiteracy means that the people have at some time in their lives learned how to read and write. For reasons linked to their social environment or their habits they are however unable to understand simple written sentences.