| Rank | Country | Literacy |
| Atlantic Ocean | void |
27 | Australia | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) |
56 | Austria | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA female: NA |
48 | Azerbaijan | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.8% male: 99.5% female: 98.2% (1999 census) |
86 | Bahamas, The | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.6% male: 94.7% female: 96.5% (2003 est.) |
137 | Bahrain | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.5% male: 88.6% female: 83.6% (2001 census) |
200 | Bangladesh | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47.9% male: 54% female: 41.4% (2001 Census) |
12 | Barbados | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.7% (2002 est.) |
16 | Belarus | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.8% female: 99.4% (1999 census) |
28 | Belgium | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) |
159 | Belize | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.9% male: 76.7% female: 77.1% (2000 census) |
210 | Benin | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 34.7% male: 47.9% female: 23.3% (2002 census) |
57 | Bermuda | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99% (2005 est.) |
202 | Bhutan | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47% male: 60% female: 34% (2003 est.) |