Somalia is a nation on the Horn of Africa with a population of approximately 18 million people. the country has an adult literacy rate of about 41%. There is a significant gender disparity in literacy rate, with 54% of men and only 22% of women being literate. According to USAID, the youth literacy rate is approximately 70%. The official languages of Somalia are Somali and Arabic, with English and Italian used as well.
The Siad Barre government initiated large-scale public works programs in 1972, and successfully implemented an urban and rural literacy campaign, thus significantly increasing the literacy rate. By the end of the program, literacy rate in Somalia was reported to be at 80% due to the massive success of this campaign. In 1975 the Somali ministry of education was awarded a UNESCO prize
Former US ambassador to Somalia praised Somali literacy efforts:<blockquote><nowiki></nowiki>UNESCO reportedly examined this and found that when Somalis closed down the schools for two years and sent everybody to the field with chalk and blackboards and radio receivers, that they did, in a period of five years, go from a 12-16% literacy rate to an 86% literacy rate. The Somalis that I know, having been back four times since retirement, and having the privilege of traveling anywhere in the country, would say it certainly is well over 50%. Exactly how high it is, I have no way of judging. But I think it is one of the most remarkable achievements of any country in Africa.<nowiki></nowiki></blockquote>
Education in Somalia is not widespread today, with nearly 85% of children not enrolled in school according to USAID. The nation has a lower secondary education completion rate of 19.5%. Somalia's relatively poor education and low literacy rates have largely been attributed to the effects of the ongoing Somali Civil War, which began around 1991. Despite this, the current adult literacy rate of 41%