International Literacy Day
Next: September 8, 2027
Every reader was taught by someone.
The story
Where it comes from
UNESCO proclaimed 8 September International Literacy Day in 1966, following the World Conference of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy held in Tehran the year before; the first observance was in 1967. It is one of the oldest UN international days and remains UNESCO's flagship event for the right to read and write.
How it's celebrated
UNESCO awards its International Literacy Prizes and announces a theme each year; libraries, schools and literacy charities hold reading events, book donations and adult-learning open days. Many people simply give a book, or read to a child.
Did you know
- Global adult literacy has risen from roughly 42 per cent in 1960 to about 87 per cent today.
- Around 750 million adults still cannot read a simple sentence, and two-thirds of them are women.
- Malaysia's adult literacy rate is around 95 per cent; Singapore's is above 97 per cent.
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