Sample Essay: Table - 3

Q. The table below shows the estimated literacy rates by region and gender for 2000-2004.

Sample Answer:

• The table shows estimated literacy rates for men and women in 2000-2004 in five regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. It also shows average world literacy rates for both genders for the same years.
• According to the table, Europe has the highest literacy rates, reaching almost 99%. There is virtually no difference in literacy rates for European men and women.
• In Oceania and the Americas, the figures for both men and women are almost the same. In both regions over 93% of the population is literate.
• In both Asia and Africa, there are considerable differences in literacy rates between men and women. In Asia, only 72.5% of women are literate, whereas the figure for Asian men is 13% higher. In Africa, the gap is nearly double, with 53.9% of all African women being literate and 71.6% of the African men being able to read and write.
• Overall, around 82% of the world population is literate. In Europe, Oceania and the Americas the literacy rates are the highest, with over 90% of the population able to read and write. Asia and Africa have lower literacy rates than the other regions in the graph.