Following is the list of Top 10 Countries With Highest Illiteracy Rate as per CIA World Factbook (Central Intelligence Agency), 2011.
| Rank | Country | Adult Illiteracy Rate |
| 1 | Niger | 84.3% |
| 2 | Burkina Faso | 77.0% |
| 3 | Afghanistan | 63.7% |
| 4 | Sierra Leone | 63.7% |
| 5 | The Gambia | 63.5% |
| 6 | Guinea-Bissau | 63.2% |
| 7 | Senegal | 62.7% |
| 8 | Benin | 62.5% |
| 9 | Ethoipia | 61.3% |
| 10 | Mauritania | 60.1% |
