Literacy
ability to read for knowledge, write coherently, and think critically about the written word; ability to read, write, and use arithmetic
Literacy is traditionally the ability to read and write. Since the mid-twentieth century, the term is also used more broadly to encompass identifying, understanding, interpreting, creating, communicating, and using written information in ways that enable individuals to participate effectively in society and achieve goals.
The spread of literacy has been closely linked to the invention and spread of writing systems, the expansion of education, and technological change. Literacy rates have increased substantially worldwide since the mid-twentieth century, although significant disparities remain between countries, regions, and demographic groups, particularly with respect to gender and access to education. In 2022, the World Economic Forum estimated the global literacy rate at 87%, which was a substantial increase from 200 years ago, where it was at 12% in 1820.
Because literacy is fundamental to education, economic participation, and civic life, it has been the subject of extensive interdisciplinary research, and its definition and measurement remain the subject of scholarly and policy debate.
Related concepts include functional literacy and multiliteracies, while specialized forms include digital literacy, media literacy, and health literacy.
Definition
The range of definitions of literacy used by NGOs, think tanks, and advocacy groups since the 1990s suggests that this shift in understanding from "discrete skill" to "social practice" is both ongoing and uneven. Some definitions remain fairly closely aligned with the traditional "ability to read and write" connotation, whereas others take a broader view:
The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (USA) included "quantitative literacy" (numeracy) in its treatment of literacy. It defined literacy as "the ability to use printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential." It included three types of adult literacy: prose (e.g., a newspaper article), documents (e.g., a bus schedule), and quantitative literacy (e.g., the use of arithmetic operations in a product advertisement).
The public source identifies “Literacy” as ability to read for knowledge, write coherently, and think critically about the written word; ability to read, write, and use arithmetic. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Literacy, ability and read.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Literacy”, the useful work is to connect “ability to read for knowledge, write coherently, and think critically about the written word; ability to read, write, and use arithmetic” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q8236. The Library of Congress control number is sh85077482. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2022, 1820 and 2003.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Literacy” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.