Data are shown only for countries or areas with population size of 150,000 or more in 1995 as estimated by Population Division of Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis of the United Nations Secretariat (Population Division/DESIPA). Two dots (..) indicate that data are not available.

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(1) Including Agalesa, Rodrigues and St. Brandon.

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Gross enrolment ratio for primary and secondary school combined

The total enrolment, regardless of age, in primary and secondary education as a proportion of the population of primary- and secondary- school age according to national regulations. Data are shown for the latest available year. Data before 1990 are shown in italics. School-age ranges vary by country, but are typically 6 to 11 years for primary school and 12 to 17 years for secondary school. It should be noted that the gross enrolment ratio can exceed 100, since it includes all pupils whatever their ages, whereas the population is limited to the range of official school ages. From UNESCO Statistical Yearbook 1996 (UNESCO publishing and Bernan Press).

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Adult illiteracy rate

The proportion of the population who are illiterate, expressed as a percentage of the population aged 15 years or above. A person is illiterate who cannot, with understanding, both read and write a short simple statement on everyday life. From Compendium of Statistics on Illiteracy - 1995 Edition (UNESCO). Recent data are not available for many developed countries; UNESCO estimates that illiteracy averaged around 1 per cent in those countries in 1995.

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(Return to Basic Social Services for All, 1997 List of BSSA Indicators)

United Nations publication, (ST/ESA/SER.A/160), Copyright (C) United Nations 1997