Illiteracy rates in interwar Europe

[Skjaldemjøden]

I've compiled a list of illiteracy rates by country in interwar Europe (as close as possible to 1930). Literate, for the purpose of this survey, is a person who is able to read but not necessarily write. There maybe inaccuracies since some figures rely on secondary sources. Mind the difference in ages (10+ was my preferred reference group when available).

Albania (1930 census, age ?) - Total illiteracy rate 80.9% (Males 70.9% Females 91.4%)
Belgium (1930 census, age 15+) - Total illiteracy rate 5.9% (Males 5.5% Females 6.4%)
Bulgaria (1934 census, age 10+) - Total illiteracy rate 31.4% (Males 19.5% Females 43.3%)
Czechoslovakia (1930 census, age 10+) - Total illiteracy rate 4.1% (Males 3.3% Females 4.8%)
Estonia (1934 census, age 10+) - Total illiteracy rate 3.9% (?)
Finland (1930 census, age 15+) - Total illiteracy rate 0.9% (Males 0.9% Females 0.9%)
France (1931 census, age 10+) - Total illiteracy rate 5.3% (Males 4.8% Females 5.7%)
Greece (1928 census, age 10+) - Total illiteracy rate 41.9% (Males 23.8% Females 59.4%)
Hungary (1930 census, age 10+) - Total illiteracy rate 10.0% (Males 7.9% Females 12.0%)
Italy (1931 census, age 10+) - Total illiteracy rate 21.6% (Males 17.8% Females 25.2%)
Latvia (1930 census, age 10+) - Total illiteracy rate 14.0% (Males 10.5% Females 17.0%)
Lithuania (1923 census, age 10+) - Total illiteracy rate 32.6% (?)
Poland (1931 census, age 10+) - Total illiteracy rate 23.1% (Males 17.8% Females 27.9%)
Portugal (1930 census, age 10+) - Total illiteracy rate 60.2% (Males 50.4% Females 68.9%)
Romania (1930 census, age 7+) - Total illiteracy rate 42.0% (Males 30.8% Females 54.3%)
Spain (1930 census, age 10+) - Total illiteracy rate 31.13% (Males 23.7% Females 38.1%)
Sweden (1930 census, age 15+) - Total illiteracy rate 0.1% (Males 0.1% Females 0.1%)
Yugoslavia (1931 census, age 11+) - Total illiteracy rate 45.2% (Males 32.7% Females 57.1%)
U.S.S.R (1926 census, age 7+) - Total illiteracy rate 47.5% (Males 24.6% Females 63.3%)

Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the UK did not collect data on illiteracy in their censuses. We do have the following records, but they are of course a poor indicator for the total population:

England and Wales (1929 marriage registers signed by mark) - Total 0.3% (Males 0.3% Females 0.3%)
Northern Ireland (1933 marriage registers signed by mark) - Total 1.0% (Males 1.3% Females 0.7%)
Scotland (1930 marriage registers signed by mark) - Total 0.2% (0.2% Males 0.2% Females)

Some censuses offer further details about different ethnic groups. Generally, Germans and Jews had a higher literacy rate than the rest of the population.

[Sarmatian]

Literacy rate in USSR is very dependent on year you're looking at. In 1917 literacy rate was estimated just above 20% but by 1940 it was something close to 100%. In between it was steady rise.

[Skjaldemjøden]

[Jana]

Interwar Yugoslavia had very uneven literacy rates

1931

[Skjaldemjøden]

Interwar Yugoslavia had very uneven literacy rates

Interesting! Thanks!
Do you know whether the census offered statistics by ethnicity, religion or language?

[Jana]

Interesting! Thanks!
Do you know whether the census offered statistics by ethnicity, religion or language?

I will try to dig up some data about that

[Jana]

double post

[Bobby Martnen]

Surprised by how high it is in a lot of places.

[Linebacker]

So Bulgarians were the most literate in the Balkans during that time.

I would say that situation hasn't changed much.

[Skjaldemjøden]

Surprised by how high it is in a lot of places.

I was mostly surprised by Portugal. I knew Turkey had a very high illiteracy rate (in the 1927 census it was 89.4%), since the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, like the Czar of Russia, preferred to rule over illiterates. There was also a religious element to it in the case of Muslim countries: the prophet of Islam was supposedly illiterate, which meant illiteracy wasn't perceived as much as a flaw in these societies (in the past). The spread of printing press was consequently also delayed by centuries.